Noble and Most Ancient
by Gamma Orionis
Summary: There are many facets to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Written for wvvampire's 366 Days of Words Challenge on the HPFC forum.
1. Novation

Author's Notes: Written for wvvampire's 366 Days of Words – Word a Day Challenge on the HPFC forum.

_Write a drabble/ficlet/chapter a day based on or around the www(dot)dictionary(dot)com word of the day for each day of the current year! It's as easy as that. Use the word in the chapter or let it inspire the chapter._

There is no order to these. They will jump around from era to era depending on who the prompt makes me think of. The only way in which they will be connected is that they will all, at one time or another, been part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

Enjoy, and wish me luck.

* * *

_Novation - the introduction of something new, innovation  
__Druella/Abraxas_

)O(

"It's so…" Druella waved one hand vaguely through the air. "I don't know… life is just… I wish…"

"Your ability to put thoughts into words never ceases to amaze," Abraxas teased gently, taking her hand and kissing it.

"I'd give anything," she said, "just to… to have something new in my life. Something other than endless days of doing the same thing over and over, playing the perfect wife to Cygnus…" She let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Pretending as though I love him or care about him…"

"It must be very difficult."

"It is." She looked at Abraxas, tears gathering in the corners of her large, pale eyes . "And… Abraxas, do you know what is even more difficult?"

"No, my darling, what?"

She sighed. "That every time I'm with you, I _do_ feel new."


	2. Truss

_Truss – to tie, bind, or fasten  
Bellatrix_

)O(

Allowing oneself to be tied up was a sign of ultimate trust – or ultimate submission. Sometimes it was difficult to tell which one applied to a situation. Perhaps the difference was easier to tell when one was being tied, but Bellatrix never was. No, it was always for her to do the tying.

When Bellatrix tied up Andromeda, or Narcissa it was a part of their games, seeing just how deeply they trusted her. She bound their wrists to their ankles and held them still, seeing how long it would take before they lost their belief that she would ever let them go, and Bellatrix knew that was a sign of ultimate trust. Sometimes, just to add variety, she would tie them up just in front of the fire, and she still knew they trusted her to keep them safe.

But when Bellatrix bound her husband so he could not move, she did not want his trust. She wanted him to submit to her. She never really knew – nor did she care – whether Rodolphus let her tie him up because he had the same trust in her that her sisters did, or because he was afraid of what she would do to him if he didn't let her.


	3. Solecism

_Solecism – a breach of good manners or etiquette  
Narcissa/Rodolphus_

)O(

As Lucius floated around the ballroom, making polite conversation with the guests at one of the thousands of parties the Malfoys hosted, Narcissa was locked in a guest bedroom, in Rodolphus's arms.

"We should stop," she breathed, putting her hands on his chest and trying to push him away. "Lucius will come looking for me… and he'll find us–"

"No he won't," Rodolphus assured her, not letting go. "He won't come looking and he won't find us… he's too busy being the perfect Pureblood gentleman to come find his wife, don't you know? We're safe…" He was pulling at Narcissa's dress as he guided her towards the bed.

"No, Rod, I can't– it's– it's–" Narcissa racked her brains for the correct term. "Solecism."

"Solecism?" He smirked a little at Narcissa's attempt at elegant language. "It's poor manners, you mean? Poor manners to make love to someone who cares about you… rather than to remain faithful to a man who cares more about the state of his reputation than the state of his wife?"

"Lucius is–"

"Lucius is irrelevant," Rodolphus told her. "As long as we're here… together… Lucius doesn't matter."


	4. Fetial

_Fetial – Concerned with declarations of war and treaties of peace  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

The war had been brewing for a long time, and Bellatrix knew it better than anybody. She knew that sooner or later the Dark Lord would stop with his attempts to peacefully – or, at least, quietly – put Mudbloods in their place, and start fighting a real war. But though she had known it would happen, she had desperately wanted it not to.

As the plans were made for an initial attack upon the Ministry, Bellatrix found the Dark Lord absent even more, to the point where she scarcely saw him, and when he did acknowledge her, Lucius – or worse, Rodolphus – was always at his right hand, describing some next step in a plan Bellatrix would not be privy to.

It stung badly that he had priorities so much higher than her, and stung even more that she could not bring herself to fault him for it.


	5. Gasconade

_Gasconade – extravagant boasting, boastful talk  
Lucius/Narcissa_

)O(

"And, you know, it's going to be very difficult to choose how to decorate the ballroom – I was thinking of crystal and silver, but then, I wonder if it might be too overpowering…"

Lucius nodded vaguely, not listening to his wife's endless prattle about the redecoration of Malfoy Manor. He had no interest in showing off their riches with such extravagance. But for Narcissa, proving their wealth in the most dramatic way possible was deeply important.

"Perhaps just a crystal chandelier and mahogany floorboards, and some fine tapestries on the walls? What do you think, Lucius?"

"Hmm? Pardon?" He jolted a little, surprised at being asked a question.

"Honestly, Lucius, were you even listening to me?"

_Why would I listen to you when all you do is think of ways to brag of your wealth to everyone who enters the Manor?_

"Of course I was, darling."


	6. Sprat

_Sprat – a small or inconsequential person or thing  
Walburga/Orion_

)O(

"What are we going to do with that little sprat?" Walburga asked, wrinkling her nose. She and Orion were sitting on the window seat of the library, looking out over the gardens. Their son, Sirius, was sitting in the garden with mud on his hands and face. Bellatrix and Andromeda were sitting far away from him, holding their little sister out of his reach. "Always acting like such a common child… what should we do?"

"Nothing," Orion said with certainty. "He'll grow out of it soon enough. He'll turn into a proper Pureblood boy eventually, I'm sure of it."


	7. Cimmerian

_Cimmerian – very dark, gloomy, deep  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

The Dark Lord's chambers were as Bellatrix had expected them. She could hardly see, for the only light came from a single taper candle. Heavy drapes were drawn so she didn't even have the moonlight or starlight.

She could not quite decide whether she thought the effect dismal or beautiful.

"Bellatrix."

She whirled around, grateful for the darkness to conceal her blush when she saw made out the Dark Lord, reclining on the bed.

"My Lord."

It was hard to tell in the gloom, but she was sure she saw a smirk twisting his features.

"You understand, I imagine, why I have called you to my chambers tonight?"

"Y- yes, my Lord," Bellatrix whispered, dropping into a curtsey before joining him on the bed.


	8. Profilagacy

_Profligacy – reckless extravagance  
Druella/Cygnus, Druella/Abraxas_

)O(

"Buy something, Druella," Cygnus said to his wife. "Something to cheer yourself up. A dress. A manor. A diamond. A hundred diamonds. Anything. Something that would make my wife happy again."

Druella did not meet her husband's eye. She looked down at her newborn daughter, with that beautiful, pale hair, those beautiful Malfoy features, and held her against her breast.

_Profligacy would not make me happy_, she thought, though she did not dare say it out loud to her husband_. As long as I'm with you, I will never be happy._

All the dresses, diamonds and manors in the world would not make Druella as happy as one more night with Abraxas would.


	9. Heterotelic

_Heterotelic – having the purpose of its existence or occurrence apart from itself  
Regulus_

)O(

For as long as he could remember, Regulus had been at loose ends. He had never really had anything he truly wanted to do – not even as a child, even less as he grew older. He was sometimes able to enjoy self-indulgence, but even that was meagre pleasure.

But now, he had a purpose. Now, it was to he, Regulus Black, to find a Horcrux. It was to he, Regulus Black, to begin to bring down the Dark Lord.

Having a purpose for living was surprisingly enjoyable, even if it did mean he would end up dead.


	10. Paregmenon

_Paregmenon – the juxtaposition of words that have a common derivation  
Andromeda_

)O(

For all her life, Andromeda had been the sensible one. She had been the logical foil to her sisters, calming Bellatrix's fits of rage and melancholy, and Narcissa's waves of childish emotion. And she hated it.

She put so much effort into projecting a sensible exterior that no one saw the sensitivity beneath. Andromeda was – to the rest of the world – a sweet, bland girl without emotions, even though underneath, she never stopped feeling.

She wished that she could show other people that she could feel.

Andromeda prided herself on rationality, but irrationality was what she desired.


	11. Expostulate

_Expostulate – to reason earnestly with someone against something that the person intends to do or has done  
Bellatrix and Cygnus_

)O(

"What you are doing is not wise, Bellatrix," her father told her one night when she was caught slinking in late. "You will get yourself in trouble – a pretty, rich young woman such as yourself, wandering the streets by night…"

"I do not wander," Bellatrix told him, immediately fiery. "And I am not as helpless as you seem to think."

"I do not think you are helpless." Cygnus's voice was remarkably calm. "I simply think you should take more care of yourself."

"I take care of myself just fine," Bellatrix told him, and as she turned and marched up the stairs, she thought, _and when I do not, the Dark Lord is there to take care for me._


	12. Viscid

_Viscid – having a glutinous consistency; sticky; adhesive  
Narcissa_

)O(

Bellatrix had always been associated with blood. From her childhood, when she cut scratches into the skin of her sisters, through her teenage years, when she let it clot under her fingernails and chewed them to get the taste and didn't bother to clean it when it got on her clothes, to her adulthood when she finally started to kill and let blood pool on the ground, watching it spread out slowly over the ground.

But it had always been Narcissa who loved the blood best.

She had watched enviously as Bellatrix let her black dresses get spotted with blood, wishing she could cake her own gowns in it, but knowing she couldn't because Mother and Father would see the reds and browns on the pastel fabrics that Narcissa was always given. When she began to menstruate, she thought that at last she would have a chance to stain something – her clothes, her pale, perfect hands, even just the water when she bathed – with blood, but there was never enough to even colour the bathwater.

So one night, after Andromeda and Bellatrix were in bed, Narcissa crept into the bathroom and used her wand to cut a slit down her upper arm. She watched with pride as beads of blood gathered on the cut, trickling down until it reached her thin wrist. She had expected her blood to be thin and watery, but it was viscid, and took a long time to finally reach her fingertips, and drip off, making crimson blossoms spring up on the white of the bathroom floor.


	13. Desinence

_Desinence – a termination or ending, ie the final line of a verse  
Callidora and Bellatrix_

)O(

With Andromeda gone, Black Manor was an even more dismal place. Narcissa routinely went days at a time without getting out of bed, Cygnus was always locked in his study, and Druella was spending increasing amounts of time "out", saying she was spending her days with Elisabeth Malfoy – though Bellatrix had her private suspicions about which Malfoy her mother was seeing.

With both Druella and Cygnus unable and unwilling to watch their two remaining daughters, Aunt Callidora was staying with them.

Bellatrix liked Aunt Callidora. The two of them shared the quality of being the first of three sisters, and now, also, of having the second sister leave them.

"What was it like, Aunt Callidora?" Bellatrix asked one day, as the two of them sat in the parlour. "What was it like for you when Cedrella left?"

Callidora sighed, reaching for her embroidery, rethreading her needle to give herself something to do while she pondered her answer.

"It was difficult at first," she said. "I was very close to her – as you were to Andromeda, of course – and… it was difficult, knowing that the end of our time together was so abrupt and so unfriendly. But… the pain went away after a while."

"Will it end for me too?" Bellatrix asked quietly.

"Yes, dear," Callidora said, then, quoting, " 'Never forget that, for better or worse, this too shall end'."


	14. Outrance

_Outrance – the utmost extremity  
Bellatrix and Rodolphus_

)O(

Bellatrix circled the Longbottoms slowly. They were already bound upon the floor, completely immobile, and Bellatrix was enjoying her power over them. Rabastan and Barty watched hungrily from the side of the room, and Rodolphus could not help but feel a bit nervous as his wife moved leisurely around their prey.

She twirled her wand between her fingers. "Pity…" she purred, "that you won't just tell us where the Dark Lord is… it would make things so much easier…"

"Please–" Alice Longbottom's voice cracked in fear. "Please, we don't know–"

"_Crucio!_"

Alice's plea turned into a scream, and she writhed against her bonds under Bellatrix's wand. Rodolphus's heart skipped a beat. He had always been wary of the Cruciatus curse, and now…

"Bellatrix, what are you doing?"

She turned on her husband, expression the very picture of irritation. "Well, if they will not tell us willingly, we need to get information out of them _somehow_, don't we? And if torture is the only way to do it…"

"Surely…" Rodolphus paused, taking a shaky breath, then began again. "Surely that is somewhat… extreme."

Bellatrix turned on him, her eyes bright and dangerous.

"There is no deed too extreme to commit in the name of our Lord," she told him, then directed her wand once again at Alice and Frank. "_Crucio!_"


	15. Perspicacious

_Perspicacious – having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning  
Regulus and Orion_

)O(

Regulus spent weeks carefully hiding his Dark Mark. He could not explain why – there was clearly no shame in it, Bellatrix flaunted hers like fine jewellery and the family fawned over her for it – but Regulus did not like people knowing that he was a member of the Dark Lord's inner circle.

It was, of course, only a matter of time before his father found out.

"Regulus, what is that on your arm?"

Regulus had reluctantly rolled back his sleeve, displaying the skull and snake, and Orion stared in abject shock.

"You… are a Death Eater."

"I can't get rid of it now," Regulus said quickly. "There's no use telling me I've done something wrong. Besides, you're always saying what a good girl Bellatrix is for getting in with them–"

"I'm not going to tell you that you've done something wrong."

Regulus was startled. "You're… you're not?"

"No, of course not. I trust you. You were always so…" Orion paused, thinking. "Oh damn, what's the word… clever… perceptive… discerning…"

"Perspicacious?"

"That's it." Orion nodded. "I'm sure that you will make the right choice. You always did. Unlike your brother."

_Yes, father, that's right. Compare me to my brother. You're never going to let me forget him, are you?_

"I will," Regulus said. "I am making the right choice. The Dark Lord _is_ the right choice. I know he is."


	16. Alate

_Alate – having wings; winged  
Narcissa_

)O(

When Narcissa was a child, she had a doll. Aunt Charis had given it to her, and she treasured it more than any of her other possessions. The doll was nine inches tall and made of porcelain, and it had fair, straight hair and big, pale eyes to match Narcissa's own, and it wore a long white dress. Narcissa had presumed that the dress was an angel's robe. Paintings and stained-glass depictions of angels always had them in white robes, after all. So she had decided her doll was an angel. But it was an angel without wings.

At first, this did not bother Narcissa. There were plenty of ways for humans to fly without wings, and surely angels would have even more. But, as she got a little older, it began to irk her. Why _wouldn't_ an angel have wings? Why shouldn't an angel have the ability to fly off wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted?

When Narcissa was twelve, she decided that it had no wings because it was not really an angel, simply a plain, earthbound doll who _wished_ she had wings to fly away with, and she scorned the doll for the delusions it had inspired in her.

Narcissa was never quite able to admit to herself that she was the one who wished she had wings to fly away with.


	17. Persnickety

_Persnickety – Over-particular, fussy  
Narcissa and Druella (Thank you to Lady Eleanor Boleyn for the idea of a Cissy&Druella chapter!)_

)O(

Druella clucked softly when she saw Narcissa dressed for her betrothal party. "Cissy, you aren't planning on wearing your hair like _that_, are you?"

Narcissa's hand went up automatically to touch the mass of blonde curls piled on her head. "Bella did it for me… she spent a whole hour curling my hair… doesn't it look nice?"

"You have lovely straight hair," Druella said. "You shouldn't change it. There are plenty of girls who would kill to have hair as smooth as yours. You've gone and made it all frizzy now."

Narcissa felt tears prickling at her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mother," she whispered.

"Oh, never mind, never mind… Here, sit down, I'll straighten it for you."

Narcissa sat at her vanity, and Druella drew up a stool behind her, taking a brush and beginning to carefully smooth out the curls. "There, you'll look so much neater like this."

Narcissa sighed, staring into her mirror. Druella had been fussing over her more than usual, she thought, and though it was nice to get a bit more attention than usual, it was also difficult to put up with.

"I wish I had curly hair. Everyone else in the family does, even you."

Druella's hands stilled, and there was a moment of silence before she took in a shaky breath and started brushing even harder. "Not everyone in the family does. And you look beautiful with straight hair."

"I look like Lucius."

"Well… is that so very bad? He does have lovely hair, all the Malfoys do…" Even though all the curls had been brushed from Narcissa's hair already, Druella continued tugging at it, fussing with each strand to get it straight

"Mother! He's going to be my husband! Ouch!" she added, as Druella tugged a little too hard on one thread of hair.

Druella sighed and set down the brush. "I'm sorry, dear." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and touched her youngest daughter's cheek. "You do look beautiful."

Narcissa smiled and draped her arms around her mother's neck, kissing her. "I love you, Mummy."

"I love you too," Druella said, smoothing her hair one last time with a gentle hand. "My special little girl."


	18. Shiv

_Shiv – a knife, especially a switchblade  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

Bellatrix leaned against the wall of one of the corridors of Malfoy Manor, shrouded in shadow as the Dark Lord stood over her with a knife in his hand. If she was not known what he intended to do with that knife, she would have been afraid. As it was, she was desperately excited.

He dragged the tip of the knife over her throat, and she shuddered in anticipation. "My Lord… oh…"

The danger of having the dagger against her skin was an aphrodisiac, and Bellatrix felt her knees weaken. She clutched the wall to stay upright. "My Lord, please…"

"Any reasonable woman would be frightened right now," he told her, sliding the knife down a little to trace over her collarbone. "But clearly you… are not a reasonable woman… because you're quite enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Y- yes, my Lord," she whimpered.

"You enjoy that at any second I could twist the knife just a little… and kill you…"

"Yes, my Lord…"

The knife moved down, and Bellatrix moaned as it circled the tip of her breast.

"Such a sweet, submissive little masochist…"

"I- I live to submit to you," Bellatrix whispered.


	19. Deucedly

_Deucedly – Devilishly, damnably  
Bellatrix and Narcissa_

)O(

Narcissa was deeply shaken. There was a diamond ring on her finger, freshly placed there as a mark of betrothal to Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa didn't think she had ever been this miserable.

_I don't want to marry him!_

It wouldn't have been so bad – it might even have been a happy event – if Lucius and Narcissa were to be married of their own free will. He wasn't a bad man, nothing like that, he was just a man with his family's interests at heart instead of Narcissa's.

He wanted to marry a Black, and Narcissa was the only one left.

Narcissa felt a whisper of warm breath on her neck, and heard Bellatrix's voice in her ear. "Bad luck, darling," Bellatrix purred. "Pity no one better would have you."

"Stop it," Narcissa murmured.

"I mean… what a blow it must be, that the only man who would bid on your pretty little hand in marriage was Lucius Malfoy. And now you've been promised to him – how long do you suppose he's going to stay faithful? A few weeks? A month at most."

"I don't want him anyhow."

"No, but you want a husband, don't you? You want a man to fawn over you and tell you how perfect you are. You wouldn't want to think that Lucius Malfoy thinks you're not good enough for him would you?"

"You're being perfectly hateful."

"Yes, I suppose I am."

Narcissa turned and looked straight into her sister's eyes. She wore a deucedly wicked smile.

"He'll stay faithful for a month, I'd say," Bellatrix continued. "But then, it doesn't really matter too much, does it Cissy? It's not as though you're going to stay faithful any longer than he is."


	20. Remora

_Remora – an obstacle, hindrance or obstruction  
Druella/Abraxas_

)O(

"I think Cygnus is suspicious," Druella whispered, threading her fingers through Abraxas's long, pale hair as he pressed her against the wall, his lips travelling over her pale throat. "He's always getting in the way, asking where I'm going…"

"He doesn't have any idea," Abraxas told her, nipping her gently. "He trusts you. He'd put his life in your hands."

"That's… doesn't that bother you?"

Abraxas lifted his head and met her eyes. "No. Why would it?"

"You're his best friend…"

"And?"

"You don't feel bad about– about betraying his trust?"

"Of course not. Listen to me, Druella." Abraxas put his fingers under her chin, lifting her head just slightly so was looking up at him. "It is Cygnus's own fault if he put his trust in the wrong people. You shouldn't feel guilty for his poor judgement."

Druella bit her lip. "But…"

"Darling, _please_ don't let your little ideas about betrayal get in the way of what we have. Do you realize how many men and women would kill to be as in love as you and I?"

"But–"

"Druella, Druella, Druella…" He bent and nipped lightly on her earlobe. "Darling, lovely ladies such as yourself shouldn't worry themselves over questions of morality. Worrying is for men to do. Women should be happy and carefree."

She paused, then nodded. "You're right, of course…"

"So you won't worry anymore about your husband?"

"No," Druella said, and let her eyelids flutter shut as Abraxas pressed his lips against hers again.


	21. Natheless

_Natheless – Nevertheless  
Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa_

)O(

Bellatrix and Narcissa had a habit of always getting what they wanted. Bellatrix was so convinced of her own superiority that she managed to convince everyone else as well, and Narcissa was just so perfect and _precious_ that no one could think of denying her whatever her darling little heart desired.

It stung Andromeda that she was the one who did not sink to intimidation and manipulation, and she was the one who never got what she wanted.

But Andromeda did not emulate her sisters. Because despite everything they did, she knew she was better than them, and that someday, she would be the one who would be rewarded.


	22. Slimsy

_Slimsy – flimsy, frail  
Walburga and Lucretia_

)O(

Lucretia and Walburga had always treated each other like sisters. Born in the same year – within days of each other, no less – they were closer than most second cousins could claim to be.

But Lucretia could not forgive Walburga for marrying her brother.

"Orion's not old enough to get married," she told her, even as she set the veil on her hair as they prepared for the wedding ceremony. "He's _younger than you_!"

Walburga scowled at her reflection in the mirror. "It's not as though I'm pleased. I didn't have anything to do with this. It's our parents who said they didn't want to wait any longer."

"He's only seventeen!"

"I know!" Walburga whirled around, the slimsy lace of her veil whipping Lucretia across her face. "I don't much fancy marrying him, he's your brother! But they've got to marry me off before they find Alphard a wife and they have to find him a wife _right away_ because they're worried that he's going to run away or do something stupid like that. Believe me, even if I have to marry him, I'd give _anything_ to be able to wait another five years. So don't _you_ talk to me about why I shouldn't marry him, because believe me, I already know."


	23. Bonny

_Bonny – pleasing to the eye  
Narcissa/Rodolphus, and Cygnus_

)O(

Narcissa lay her head on Rodolphus's bare chest, looking up at him through her eyelashes, lost in the warm haze that followed lovemaking. She listened to his heart, which was still beating hard from pleasure.

"You're beautiful, Cissa," Rodolphus whispered breathlessly, stroking her head. "So… beautiful…"

"So are you," she murmured, slowly rolling over to straddle him and brushing her lips against his.

His hands tangled in her hair, pulling her down against him so he could press his lips harder into hers. Narcissa melted against him, sighing in happiness, sure that she would never be as happy as she was right then, right there, in her lover's arms.

Then the door opened.

Rodolphus sat up quickly and Narcissa tumbled off him, looking around wildly, her eyes landing on the doorway, and her father, who stood framed in it with a look of profound horror on his face.

"_Narcissa Black!_"

"Father!" Narcissa cried, grabbing the sheets up over her naked body. "You- why are you here?" As soon as the words came out, she realized how stupid they sounded, and winced.

"I hardly think that is the relevant question," Cygnus snarled. "Lestrange, get your hands _off_ of my daughter!"

Rodolphus grabbed his shirt and trousers, standing up quickly. "I'm s- sorry, Sir," he stammered, looking utterly terrified of Cygnus, who grabbed Narcissa by the arm and wrenched her to her feet. She shrieked, trying to cover herself for modesty's sake, but Cygnus seemed not to care. His hand cracked across Narcissa's cheek.

"What were you _thinking_?" he shouted. "_How_ are we going to find you a husband when you climb into bed with your _brother in law!_"

"Father!" Narcissa cried, bursting into tears, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

He hit her again, and she tumbled to the ground. Rodolphus moved instinctively to catch her, but Cygnus pushed him back.

"You cut me!" Narcissa sobbed, pressing both hands to her cheek, where Cygnus's wedding ring had torn her skin. He ignored her.

"You're just like your mother!" he thundered. "Stupid, silly little girl! You had better hope that that cut doesn't ruin your looks, because you've thrown your virtue away, and if a witless little _whore_ like you doesn't have her virtue, she doesn't have anything except being pretty to help her get through life!"


	24. Educe

_Educe – To draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

Before Bellatrix met the Dark Lord, she was told she was a strange girl. She was not the proper little lady that Narcissa was, nor was she the lovable little angel that people saw when they looked at Andromeda. People whispered that it was unnatural for a girl to be so dark.

But she did not think herself strange. She did not think herself dark. She denied it, convinced herself that they were just seeing her wrong.

Until she met the Dark Lord.

He was the one who convinced her that it was not such a terrible thing to be dark. He taught her that strangeness was nothing to be ashamed of, and that those who mocked her only did so because they feared her. As they should.

He taught her to embrace it.

He drew out the darkness in her.


	25. Bleb

_Bleb – a bubble  
Sirius_

)O(

For most of his first eleven years, Sirius assumed himself to be a regular Black. He didn't see himself as different from the rest of the family in any significant way, and that was perfectly fine with him.

Then he went to Hogwarts. He got sorted into Gryffindor. Everything changed.

For the first time in his life, he met people who _weren't_ perfect young Pureblood men and women. At first he was wary of them, but quickly came to see that they weren't anything to be wary of.

He must have been living in a bubble, he thought, not to know that people who were not Purebloods could be interesting.


	26. Mettle

_Mettle – Courage, fortitude  
Alphard and Sirius_

)O(

Alphard had never been a brave person. He did not mind that – bravery, to him, was very little more than an excuse to act foolishly. Oh, he had his _moments_ of bravery – standing up to his sister and brother about the treatment of their children, for example – but he was not brave.

Sirius was so different. He lived and breathed risk, and Alphard thought he had never seen such a happy child. He – Alphard – admired Sirius's courage.

So, when Sirius's courage got him disowned, Alphard vowed to help him.

Even though it meant getting disowned himself.


	27. Conciliate

_Conciliate – to overcome the distrust or hostility of; placate; win over  
Andromeda/Ted_

)O(

Ted did not understand why a girl like Andromeda – a rich Slytherin Pureblood – would want anything to do with him. She could have had any man she wanted – at least, until it came time for marriage – yet she chose Ted.

He was wary of her for this. But Ted was, by nature, a trusting individual, and it did not take long for Andromeda to conciliate him, get him past his natural distrust for her.

He never really knew why she bothered.


	28. Birr

_Birr – energy; force; vigour  
Druella and Walburga_

)O(

Where Regulus, Andromeda and Narcissa where apt to be quiet, Bellatrix and Sirius were perhaps the two loudest children Druella and Walburga had ever encountered. They sat in the parlour of Black Manor and let the two older children fight, and bemoaned their behaviour.

"Orion keeps saying Sirius will grow out of it," Walburga sighed, wincing as she heard a bang from outside. "But I fear he won't… don't think he'll ever stop."

Druella nodded, pouring another cup of tea and handing it to her sister-in-law. "Bellatrix is quite the same. She should be betrothed already, and she's still running around, not the least regard for decency… I don't know how they do it. How two children can have so much energy is completely beyond me."

"I suppose," Walburga sighed, "All we can do is hope that they learn to channel the energy into something proper. Though," she added, jumping a little as there was a crash from out in the gardens, "I don't imagine that Sirius will ever put that birr into work… any more than I can imagine Bellatrix putting it into raising a family."

Druella sighed, shaking her head. "You know, with such heirs, I fear for the Pureblood race."


	29. Hotchpot

_Hotchpot – __the bringing together of shares or properties in order to divide them equally.  
Regulus_

)O(

Some weeks after Sirius ran away, when things in the Black family had returned almost to normal – though they were still quite strained at times – Cygnus and Orion called a family meeting. Bellatrix, Narcissa and Regulus were brought into the parlour of Black Manor to discuss how the fortune was going to be split between them.

"Father, how are the inheritances going to be decided now that the blood traitors are not here to take their shares?" Bellatrix asked, sitting on the arm of her father's chair and leaning towards him, eyes wide and innocent, though Regulus could see the excited glint of greed in her eyes.

"We will…" Cygnus paused and cleared his throat. "We will compile the inheritances that were to be given to… to the traitors, and then divide them equally among you three."

Bellatrix looked pleased, and Narcissa even more so, but Regulus could not bring himself to smile. It felt wrong taking property that should have belonged to Sirius, and he knew he would hate himself forever if he did.

But he agreed to the split despite this, and when he walked out of the room, he had property to his name that should have been Sirius's.


	30. Neoterism

_Neoterism – an innovation in language, as a new word, term, or expression  
Ilsa Black_

)O(

Ilsa was the first Black to have her name struck off the family tree.

She wondered why this was – had no one before her ever thought that what the family did was wrong? Had no one before her ever fallen in love with a Muggle, a Squib, a Mudblood, a Half-blood?

No, clearly, they had not.

Or, if they had, they had restrained themselves, considering family honour more important than love.

Ilsa did. She had not known what would happen when she ran away with Bob Hitchens, she didn't even know if doing so would be possible, or if she would evaporate on the spot when she left the house.

But she didn't. She survived. She lived happily, for the first time.

Ilsa had no ulterior motivations when she ran away, but she inadvertently became a heroine to other dissatisfied Blacks.

She became _the Black who ran away_. She made it possible.


	31. Idoneous

_Idoneous – appropriate; fit; suitable; apt  
Bellatrix_

)O(

Bellatrix was dedicated to the Black family in every way there was. She scorned her sister and her cousin for their decisions to let themselves be disinherited. She scolded Narcissa and Regulus, and even her seniors for what she considered inappropriate behaviour for Blacks. She did everything she could to prove herself as the most loyal Black that history had ever seen, for she never wanted to bring shame upon her family name.

How appropriate it was, then, that when history remembered the Blacks, long after they were all dead, Bellatrix was the one who was recalled with the greatest disgust.


	32. Doyenne

_Doyenne – a woman who is a senior member of a group, class, or profession  
Bellatrix_

)O(

Bellatrix harboured no regrets about how she lived her life. Not even when she was hidden away in Azkaban did she let so much as a shred of doubt pollute her pride in her accomplishments.

People had said that a woman could not be a Death Eater, that she, Bellatrix, was too weak. And she had proven them all wrong.

She had risen to be the greatest Death Eater, far above any of the men, and she never regretted what she sacrificed for that.


	33. Peroration

_Peroration – a long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language  
Bellatrix and Cornelius Fudge_

)O(

Cornelius Fudge, who had been given the task of watching over Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Barty while they were in custody, paced back and forth before the four convicts. "As you are no doubt aware," he said, his voice calm and gravelly, "You are being arrested on a very serious charge…"

Bellatrix and Rodolphus exchanged exasperated glances. _As if we didn't already know that._

"Mr. Crouch has arranged for the four of you to have a trial, but I assume the four of you are aware that the verdict it is a foregone conclusion, and a privilege that is only being granted as an act of courtesy to…" He shot Barty a nasty look.

"Oh, just stop," Bellatrix snapped. "You're arresting us. You needn't spend two hours explaining it."

Cornelius looked offended, but quickly composed himself. "Very well, then. You shall be directed to Azkaban to await your trial, then."


	34. Excogitate

_Excogitate – to think out; devise; invent  
Narcissa_

)O(

Lies were Narcissa's greatest strength. Though both Bellatrix and Andromeda could tell brazen untruths without so much as blinking, they did – over time – gain reputations as liars, while Narcissa remained sweet, innocent Cissy, too naïve to know what a lie was.

She had a talent for excogitating the most believable lies, for giving little innocent pouts and meeting the eyes of whoever she was speaking to that people believed every word that came out of her lips.

Sometimes she wondered whether even she knew when she was speaking the truth and when she wasn't.


	35. Caprice

_Caprice – a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather  
Druella_

)O(

Druella was not known for being particularly intelligent. She didn't have to be – she was a lady, after all, and what would a lady do with too much intelligence? It rarely bothered her when people called attention to her supposed unintelligence.

But it did bother her when people called her "flighty".

There were many who seemed to equate one with the other, mental weakness with indecision, but Druella knew that this was wrong. She might not be particularly clever, but she was, at least, decisive. She always knew what she wanted, and caprices that interrupted that were rare.


	36. Pied

_Pied – having patches of two or more colours  
Andromeda_

)O(

Andromeda loved colour. Especially when she was small, she decorated her world with patches of colours – sleeping in a quilt of far too many different types of cloth, wearing dresses in vibrant shades whenever she felt she could get away with it, even going so far as to demand a pet parrot when Uncle Alphard went on vacation.

But for all that, her life was desperately plain and colourless.


	37. Filiopietistic

_Filiopietistic – pertaining to reverence of forebears or tradition, especially if carried to excess.  
Bellatrix and Tonks_

)O(

Tonks yelped as she felt her wand fly from her hand. Before she knew what was happening, she was up against the wall, her vision obscured by a cloud of dark hair.

"Don't move, darling…"

Tonks' knees went weak in fear. Her aunt's voice was harsh and cold in her ear, and Tonks had never been more terrified.

"So, you're the little half-blood that my traitor sister produced…"

Tonks struggled, but Bellatrix's grip was strong, and she couldn't move.

"Little brat… my sister should have known better, she should have known that mixing her blood with a Muggle's wouldn't produce a decent child, only a weak little thing like you…" Bellatrix sneered. Tonks spat in her face, but Bellatrix did not let go.

"Such a vile little child…" she continued. "Foul blood… you're a disgrace to my family…"

"You always do what your family wants?" Tonks sneered. _I'm going to die anyway, why shouldn't I be reckless?_

Bellatrix hissed – _actually hissed_. "I do what my family wants because my family is correct! Not that you would understand that, Mudblood…"


	38. Crib

_Crib – to pilfer or steal  
Regulus_

)O(

Regulus had never had qualms about taking things that were not his. If he could take them, he reasoned, he had earned them. If the original owner could not be bothered to stop him, then the original owner did not deserve possession of whatever it was.

For much of his life, Regulus regarded this as something of a minor talent, a good way of collecting a bit of extra money or objects that he desired.

He never thought that stealing something would become the purpose of his life – or the reason for his death.


	39. Piacular

_Piacular – expiatory, atoning, reparatory  
Marius_

)O(

Marius tried to use magic. He tried to make himself a proper wizard. He did everything he could and more to try to have the powers his family took so for granted, but no efforts could make his wand so much as shoot a spark.

The Blacks detested him for this. He was worse than the blood traitor Ilsa or the supporter of Muggle rights Phineas, for their crimes had been the result of decisions on their part, not of some flaw that could be carried by the family. Their actions were simply madness – Marius's failure to perform magic was a _defect._

There was no way for a squib to atone for the sin of being born wrong.


	40. Screed

_Screed – a long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe  
Cedrella_

)O(

_To the Black family_

_When I was young, I believed every word you spoon-fed me. I believed that Mudbloods and Muggles and blood traitors were inferior and were worthy of being despised. I believed that something about being born into the right family made me better than them._

_But now that I'm gone, I see what you did to me. You weren't making me feel like I was powerful – you were making me feel like I had to be loyal to all of you to be worth anything. You were grooming me, turning me into your perfect princess, to help carry on the line. You told me I was better than the blood traitors, but at least they don't use their daughters as pawns in a game they don't even understand._

_Shame on you, Blacks. Shame on you all._

_Sincerely,_

_Cedrella Weasley_


	41. Depone

_Depone – to testify under oath; depose  
Sirius and Bellatrix_

)O(

Sirius wasn't given a trial. The hysteria was too great, even after the Dark Lord had fallen, to put the time into that. He was shoved into Azkaban without a chance to testify, to swear that he had not killed the Potters, he would never have done such a thing.

Bellatrix was given a trial. She would most likely not have gotten one if she had not been caught with the son of Bartemius Crouch, and if he had not been so adamant in his desire to have a trial during which to showcase his hatred for the boy.

It was a great irony that a woman who proclaimed her allegiance to the Dark Lord without qualm was given a chance – however slight – to defend herself while a man who would have deponed his innocence was not.


	42. Burled

_Burled – Having small knots that produce a distorted grain in wood  
Narcissa and her parents_

)O(

On Narcissa's tenth birthday, she was given a writing desk for her bedroom. It was a pretty little mahogany thing that her parents told her she could sit at to write letters to her sisters at school.

When she saw it, saw her mother standing next to it with her painted-on smile, and her father beside her looking at Narcissa the way he always did, with mixed disgust and want, she burst into tears.

"Why, Cissy, darling, what ever is the matter?" Druella had cried.

Narcissa had struggled to stop crying and made an excuse about the wood of the desk being bumpy, and her parents – Druella, at least – had coddled her and told her she would have it smoothed out, and neither Druella nor Cygnus ever knew the real reason she cried.


	43. Auscultation

_Auscultation – the act of listening to sounds within the body as a method of diagnosis  
Narcissa and Andromeda_

)O(

Narcissa was lying in bed, letting silent tears stream down her cheeks onto her pillow. She had been in bed for days, apparently so ill that she could not even stand up. Druella was quite mad with worry, and no one seemed to have the first idea what was wrong with Narcissa.

The door banged open and Narcissa looked up, startled, and saw Andromeda standing in the doorway.

"Right, listen to me," Andromeda said. "You're not ill, and you're to get up out of that bed this instant."

"I _am_ ill…"

"No, you are not. You are fine."

"But I've got a fever! My chest hurts! I've got a wretched headache…"

"That doesn't mean you're ill." Andromeda sat down on the bed and leaned over her little sister, listening to her trembling breath, still thick with crying, and allowing her eyes to roam Narcissa's body.

"You're not," she said again after a moment.

"So what's wrong with me, if you're so clever?"

Andromeda's lips twitched. "I believe it's commonly referred to as 'heartbreak'."


	44. Exoteric

_Exoteric – suitable for or communicated to the general public  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

The Black family was full of secrets. Everyone knew that – you would have had to be a fool not to. Even other Pureblood families, towards whom the Blacks put so much effort in appearing perfect, didn't quite believe that they were. There was always an underlying feeling of suspicion, as though they knew that _something_ happened behind closed doors. They just didn't know what.

Cassiopeia knew.

She saw what happened to her brother the Squib. To her cousin the blood-traitor. Even to her innocent sister and brother.

Even to herself.

She kept notes of the things that happened within the walls of Black Manor in a little diary, in hopes that someday she would be able to share it and prove beyond doubt that the Blacks were not the perfect people that they pretended to be.

She never did get that chance.


	45. Cordate

_Cordate – heart-shaped  
Callidora/Harfang_

)O(

Callidora went for a walk after her sister ran away. She wandered out of the gardens of Black Manor and down to the nearest village in a daze, numb from the loss of Cedrella. When she reached the village, she stood stupidly in the centre of the street, not sure how she had arrived there or how to get back. She looked around hazily, up at the trees waving their cordate leaves, down at the packed earth of the road, and she had never felt so lost.

"May I help you?"

She looked up, blinking away the numb haze that covered her eyes. A man was standing next to her, looking politely inquisitive. There was a wand tucked discreetly into his belt, and Callidora relaxed when she saw it.

"Oh… no… I was just walking," she mumbled.

"It's Miss Black, is it? You looked lost. Shall I escort you home?"

She took his arm, nodding, and he smiled, leading her back up the hills towards Black Manor.

"My name is Callidora," she said, remembering manors and smiling rather weakly at him. "Callidora Black."

"Harfang," he said, just as politely. "Harfang Longbottom."


	46. Vilipend

_Vilipend – to regard or treat as of little value or account  
Dorea/Charlus_

)O(

Dorea was the doll of the Black family, the very youngest of her generation, babied and adored by her parents, her sisters and brothers, her aunts and uncles and cousins. Dorea was the girl who was dressed in starched dresses of lace and sat upon the lap of her mother or father at luncheons and cooed over. She was the creature who was little more than an innocent smile set in a pretty little face.

As such, no one noticed when she started to grow up.

They didn't notice Charlus Potter sneaking into the Manor late at night, or her, Dorea, sneaking out. They didn't notice the spark of rebellion in her eyes when she was dragged to parties.

They did notice when her stomach began to swell, but only long enough to punish her and perform a hasty wedding. Then they forgot all about her again.


	47. Mammonism

_Mammonism – the greedy pursuit of riches  
Lycoris and Arcturus_

)O(

When Arcturus told Lycoris that he was going to marry Melania Macmillan, Lycoris very nearly threw a fit. He, Lycoris, was lying in bed with one of the many illnesses that plagued him constantly, and he sat bolt upright at the mention of her name.

"_Melania Macmillan_?"

"Yes," Arcturus said. "And don't try to talk me out of it. It's all arranged."

"We hate her!"

"_You_ hate her. Regulus hates her. I don't."

"Don't you see what she's doing?" Lycoris shouted, grabbing his brother and shaking him back and forth as best he could in his weakened state, desperate to make him see sense. "She's only acting out of mammonism! She's a Macmillan, why would she want to marry a Black except for the money!"

Arcturus kept his face smooth and impassive, and calmly detached his brother's hands from him.

"I don't care what she wants me for," he said. "I love her."

"I thought you loved _me_," Lycoris hissed.

"That," Arcturus told him, "is beside the point."


	48. Tramontane

_Tramontane – being or situated beyond the mountains  
Sirius_

)O(

When Sirius was eight years old, and the Blacks were spending the summer in Italy, he spent a long time looking out at the Alps. They were so far in the distance from the Black's Villa as to be a blur on the horizon, but he stared out at them anyway.

"What's on the other side of those?" he asked his mother once.

"Switzerland," was her answer.

Sirius said nothing to that, but he could not quite believe that the only thing on the other side was another country. He wanted to believe that, if he just got past those mountains, he might find something really wonderful, something to prove his mother wrong…

Of course, he never went to those mountains.


	49. Pachyderm

_Pachyderm – a person who is not sensitive to criticism, ridicule, et cetera  
Bellatrix_

)O(

Bellatrix was used to ridicule.

She had suffered through it from students at Hogwarts who believed her wealth to be a sign that she was spoiled – which, she readily admitted, was not wholly wrong. She had taken it from Sirius with only scorn that a child could think to chide her for how she chose to live her life. She was even willing to accept it from her fellow Death Eaters, who thought it amusing to torment her for being the only woman in their ranks – and, they said, for only having gained that position by bedding the Dark Lord.

There was no reason to be hurt when their accusations were not false.

The only person who hurt Bellatrix when he criticised her was the Dark Lord.

That was why she made such special effort never to do wrong in his eyes.


	50. Spruce

_Spruce – to make neat or dapper  
Druella/Abraxas_

)O(

Druella slumped in Abraxas's arms, gasping for air. His impassioned ministrations had brought her to such a level of excitement that she could not hold herself up, struggling to breathe in the confines of her corset. Her breast heaved and Abraxas lay little kisses upon it.

"A- Abraxas…" she moaned, legs trembling as he lowered her skirt.

"I need to leave," Abraxas murmured. "Cygnus will be back soon…"

"Don't leave me," panted Druella. "Please…"

"I have to." He laid a light kiss upon her forehead, then drew back, lowering her skirts. "Cygnus will suspect, otherwise. Now go spruce yourself back up, and I'll see you tomorrow."


	51. Morceau

_Morceau – piece, morsel  
Cygnus/Druella_

)O(

Druella lay in childbed, with Narcissa in her arms. Her husband sat beside her, silent, staring at the little blonde child in her arms, the child with those perfect features, the child who lay still and silent and blinked up at her mother, the child who looked so like Abraxas that it was frightening.

Druella could not bring herself to meet her husband's eyes. He had not left her, he had not spoken as though he was angry at her, but she felt guilt so strong it made her feel nauseous.

A fit of coughing wracked her frail body, and she felt Cygnus's hand on her forehead, cool and strong and gentle, and it only made her guilt worse.

He slipped the morceau of bread between her chapped lips and raised a mug of water to them. Druella sipped eagerly, sighing in relief as the cool liquid spilled over her tongue but hating that the man she had betrayed was the one administering it.

"I love you, Druella," Cygnus murmured.

"I know," Druella whispered.


	52. Bespeak

_Bespeak – to show; indicate  
Phineas and Phineas Nigellus_

)O(

Phineas Black shamed his family.

His parents feared he would turn out "wrong", the way his aunt Ilsa had. When he began to speak of Muggle rights, their worst fears were confirmed.

Phineas Nigellus raged at his son when he discovered that he supported Muggle rights. There was a shouting match so terrible that the entire family was in tears by the end of it. Then Phineas stormed out.

That night, Ursula woke to an empty bed. She sat up and waited for her husband to return, and when he did, he was shaking. She had never seen him looking so afraid. And she saw the wand still clutched in his hand, the haunted expression in his eyes, and she knew what had happened.

It bespoke the nature of the Black family that nothing was ever said of the matter.


	53. Ad Rem

_Ad rem – without digressing; in a straightforward manner  
Bellatrix/Ted_

)O(

Ted Tonks did not enjoy being spurned.

He should have realized that investing himself in Bellatrix Black was a terrible idea from the first moment. She was dangerous and unpredictable and difficult and those were not qualities he relished in a woman. But she drew him to her, and, in his mind, he concocted the most complex and dramatic of romances for the two of them.

He should not have been surprised when she laughed at his advances. He should have let the matter go.

He didn't. He became agitated. In his mind, she was no longer the object of idle affection and vague desire. She was _everything_, he wanted her _entirely_, he _loved_ her.

"Why don't you love me?" Ted demanded when she laughed, his face flushing crimson. "Why? Is there something _wrong_ with me?"

"Yes," Bellatrix said simply. She met his eyes, and said. "You're a Mudblood. Purebloods only love Purebloods."

Such a straightforward comment should not have been difficult for Ted to process, but it was, terribly so.

And then he began to search for a Pureblood who would love a Muggleborn.

* * *

_This chapter is specially for Couture Girl, who has been harassing – I mean, urging – me to write more Bellatrix/Ted… I hope you enjoyed it!_


	54. Plenum

_Plenum – a full assembly, as a joint legislative assembly  
Bellatrix_

)O(

After she had been captured, Bellatrix was nothing but excited for her trial. At last, she would be given the chance to stand before the whole Wizarding world and declare her loyalty to the Dark Lord. It was a dream come true.

When she faced every member of the Wizengamot, knowing full well that she would be sentenced to life in Azkaban, she smiled, because she knew that even with all their combined efforts, they could not keep her or the Dark Lord from rising again.


	55. Adamantine

_Adamantine – utterly unyielding or firm in attitude or opinion  
Sirius_

)O(

"Stubborn" was often the word associated with young Sirius Black.

He accepted this – embraced it – and lived up to every expectation. He defied his parents, he decorated his room with Muggle pictures, he proudly wore his Gryffindor scarf and tie to family dinners. But he never did anything _really_ terrible.

At least, he didn't until he got the idea into his head to run away.

Secret-keeping was not a strong point, and it did not take long before his cousins – the two that were left, at least – and brother were well aware of what he was planning to do. It surprised him for years afterwards that they never told his parents, but perhaps they simply did not expect him to follow through.

But he did.

Sirius was adamantine in his decision to leave, and no amount of begging and pleading from Regulus or Narcissa, or threats from Bellatrix, could make him change his mind.


	56. Bandy

_Bandy – to pass from one to another or back and forth; give and take  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

Cassiopeia Black was the only member of the Black family who ever tried to speak out against them and wasn't disowned.

She tried to tell people what her parents, her aunts and uncles and grandparents, had done to her.

People didn't listen, because they thought she was a simple girl. They only laughed and tried to get rid of her. Her family bandied about marriage and such, tossing ideas back and forth, but in the end it was deemed that such a ruined girl was unmarriageable.

And so Cassiopeia never did get married, and she died alone, in the attic of Black Manor, old and miserable.


	57. Hircine

_Hircine – of, pertaining to, or resembling a goat  
Narcissa/Rodolphus_

)O(

Narcissa glanced around the Hog's Head pub nervously when Rodolphus led her in. He had assured her that it was a much better place to go on their Hogsmeade weekend than the Three Broomsticks or any of the other more commonly frequented pubs, but she was unsure.

"You're sure no one's going to catch us here?" she whispered breathlessly.

"Well…" Rodolphus glanced around the pub, at the people talking in hushed voices, hooded figures staring into grimy mugs, and at the barman and his goat, the only people who seemed to notice the two teenagers at all. "No one who would care, at any rate."


	58. Flexuous

_Flexuous – full of bends or curves, sinuous  
Cedrella/Septimus_

)O(

Cedrella left her home late at night to run away with Septimus. Her heart pounded wildly while she hurried from the gardens of Black Manor, but when she saw him, when she took his arm and he led her from the grounds and away down a flexuous path through a valley, she lost all fears. Everything was perfect, the night was beautiful, Septimus was beautiful, _she_ felt beautiful.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" Septimus said, smiling at Cedrella.

"Yes," she told him, and that was all she needed to say.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter is also for Prompt #1 – "Beauty" – on dancingwithrainbows' 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles, 100 words or less Challenge on the HPFC forum.


	59. Pettifog

_Pettifog – to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters  
Bellatrix and Narcissa_

)O(

"Why are you doing this for him?" Narcissa cried, her voice so high in pitch that she sounded hysterical as she stared at the Dark Mark on her sister's arm.

Bellatrix scowled, pulling down the sleeve of her dress. "I would have thought you of all people would understand why. I love him, Cissy!"

"No, you don't!" Narcissa cried. "You _lust_ after him. That isn't the same thing!"

Bellatrix glared at her little sister.

"It's close enough."

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Prompt #2 – "Love" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	60. Quadrennial

_Quadrennial – occurring every four years  
Cassiopeia_

Warning: This individual drabble contains references to child sexual abuse. You are quite free to skip it and move onto the next chapter.

)O(

When Cassiopeia turned twenty-six and her parents had still not even begun to look for a husband for her, she gave up hope. She was not like some members of her family who could find love – or, at the least, good and respectable relationships – on their own; she needed help to do it.

But they didn't want to give her to any man. She was a ruined girl, not suitable for marriage. What man would want a girl who had already been deflowered? She was worthless.

For a time, Cassiopeia's father kept her, as he always had, to use as he pleased. But eventually he grew tired of her, and she was relegated to haunting Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, her childhood home.

Nearly all her time she spent in the attic – a safe haven for the crazy girl who had become the shame of the Black family. But once every four years, on her birthday, February twenty-ninth, Cassiopeia crept out and spent a few hours wandering the house, reminding herself of the pain and misery that she had experienced there.

She stayed in Grimmauld Place until her dying day.

No one ever knew she was still there.

* * *

Author's Notes: I really should have posted this yesterday, _on_ the twenty-ninth…

In any case, this is dedicated to Couture Girl and BellaPur (who… I don't actually think is reading this… but I can imagine she is), both of who expressed interest in Cassiopeia.


	61. Alembic

_Alembic – anything that transforms, purifies or refines  
Marius and Dorea_

)O(

In his childhood, while Marius was still sure there was a chance that he would learn magic, he would often wake up shaking from nightmares. Then Dorea, would climb onto his bed and whisper that everything was all right.

Marius knew that he should have hated the dreams. He _did_ hate the dreams.

But when Dorea twined her little arms around his neck and clung to him, he felt so _pure_, so like a Black – at least, as compared to how he felt the rest of the time – that he couldn't quite bring himself to dislike the dreams.

Author's Note: Also for Prompt #3 – "Dream" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	62. Cant

_Cant – to talk hypocritically  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

"Unnatural" was the usual way in which people described Cassiopeia. They didn't understand her, understand what happened behind her blank eyes, or what she was thinking when she didn't speak. So they called her strange, weird, wrong.

She knew she wasn't.

They were the unnatural ones. They were the ones who hid behind faux smiles and tried to pretend that they didn't know just exactly what was happening in her mind.

How _dare_ they call her unnatural?

Did they not realize that they were the ones who had made her that way?

Didn't that haunt them, as it haunted her?

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #4 – "Haunted" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	63. Liege

_Liege – loyal, faithful  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

She was his most faithful as much out of necessity as adoration.

Oh, she would have been more than faithful to him in any case, but there was more. He knew her in ways that he knew none of the other Death Eaters – deeply, intimately, profoundly. She could not hide her thoughts and memories from him when she was in his bed, so the only way to keep herself safe was never to have even the faintest inkling of a disloyal thought.

Even if she had wanted to, she could never have left him.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #5 – "Memory" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	64. Oracular

_Oracular – ambiguous, obscure  
Cygnus (I)/Violetta_

)O(

When Cygnus first suggested to Violetta that they… "do something about" their Squib son Marius, she hated the idea.

She trembled delicately, looking more fragile than Cygnus had ever seen his wife, and her voice broke. "Surely- surely he does not _need_ to be disowned…"

"Oh, but he does," Cygnus said. "And there are more than enough oracular reasons that we could give as to why he has disappeared, so don't you dare worry about what people will think.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Prompt #6 – "Fragile" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	65. Profulent

_Profulent – flowing smoothly or abundantly forth  
Pollux/Cassiopeia_

Warning: This individual drabble contains sexual abuse and incest, and should bear an M rating. You are quite free to skip it and move onto the next chapter.

)O(

"Irma doesn't love me, Cassy."

Cassiopeia had been sleeping as peacefully as she ever did, but the sound of her older brother's voice woke her immediately, and set her heart to racing. She opened her eyes slowly, and saw Pollux perched on the edge of her bed, looking down sadly at her.

"She doesn't love me," he repeated. "She's been out all night. It's past midnight. And we all know where she is…"

Cassiopeia did not dare to speak.

"She doesn't love me," Pollux said once more. "But… you do… don't you, Cassy?" And then Cassiopeia realized why he was there.

"Don't make me, Poe, please," she whimpered, and let out a little squeak when he gave her a quick slap.

"Don't _call me that!_ You've never complained before." His voice dropped to a low, venomous hiss. "You don't complain when Father makes you do it."

Her lip trembled. "Don't…"

"I'll say what I want to you!" His voice raised, and Cassiopeia quaked in fear. "You know what I want from you – what I need from you– now do it!"

Cassiopeia could not refuse. She swallowed her shame as she reached down, as she undid her brother's robes and wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking it. He rocked against her, a little hitching moan in his throat, eyes shut tightly, and he was whispering over and over, "Irma, Irma, oh Irma…"

It felt like hours before he finally gripped his little sister as tightly as he could and his seed streamed over her hand, flowing down it to drip onto her bed sheets. Cassiopeia bit back a noise of disgust and closed her eyes, letting go of him.

She didn't open them again until he was gone.


	66. Appertain

_Appertain – to belong as a part, right, possession or attribute  
Arthur/Narcissa_

)O(

It started as an innocent enough fancy, Arthur's interest in Narcissa Black. Just an idle shred of desire for a pretty girl.

That was before he actually started to talk to her.

Or rather, _tried_ to talk to her. He did his best to spark up conversations with the younger girl whenever he had the chance, but she sneered and brushed him off.

That only intrigued Arthur more.

His adoration, his veiled celebration of things as odd as Narcissa's attitude towards him stayed with him for the rest of his life, until it defined him entirely.

* * *

Author's Notes: For Prompt #7 – "Celebration" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles, and for Couture Girl, who requested Arthur/Narcissa.


	67. Rutilant

_Rutilant – glowing or glittering with ruddy or golden light  
Rabastan/Andromeda_

)O(

Rabastan could have sworn he was seeing her every day that he was in Azkaban. He would have bet his life – what there was of it – that she was sitting in his cell, growing clearer every day, until she was near to corporeal, looking almost as she had when he had known her, except surrounded by a rosy glow that was far from natural.

He didn't dare tell anyone – even his brother – that Andromeda was sitting in Azkaban with him.

* * *

Author's Notes: For Prompt #8 – "Secrets" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	68. Pococurante

_Pococurante – caring little; indifferent; nonchanante  
Bellatrix and Andromeda_

)O(

Andromeda had expected Bellatrix to be furious when she told her that Rodolphus and Narcissa had been spotted _in flagrante_. She had expected a fight, probably ending in Rodolphus or Narcissa or both being thoroughly hexed. Contrary to expectations, Bellatrix just stared blankly at her sister and shrugged.

"Don't you care?" Andromeda asked. "I mean… doesn't it matter to you at all that your husband is unfaithful to you?"

"Of course not," Bellatrix said. "He's entitled to his secret lover, as I am."

"You're not going to… _punish_ him for it?"

Bellatrix smirked. "Oh, I will… I promise you that…"

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #9 – "Promise" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles


	69. Furcate

_Furcate – to form a fork; branch  
Xenophilius/Narcissa_

)O(

Xenophilius Lovegood was a curiosity to Narcissa.

He was strange, always hovering in Hogwarts' corridors and watching people. Bellatrix and Andromeda laughed at him – as did the rest of the school – but Narcissa could not help but be intrigued.

So, one summer day when Bellatrix was out with Rodolphus and Andromeda had disappeared, Narcissa left Black Manor and went down to the Lovegood's house. Xenophilius was sitting in a tree, between forked branches, reading.

"Come up and sit with me," he told Narcissa when he saw her.

She hesitated, but she did and they were all innocence while they spoke.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #10 – "Innocence" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.

Dedicated to lilianthorn and Couture Girl, who suggested and requested (respectively) Narcissa/Xenophilius.

(Ooh, chapter 69! I should have written smut…)


	70. Esculent

_Esculent – something edible, especially a vegetable  
Narcissa_

)O(

The Blacks looked so proper, sitting around their table. They sat up nice and straight and wore their pasted-on smiles and didn't speak a word to each other. Andromeda stared blankly straight ahead of her, Bellatrix's lips would occasionally twitch into a smirk, and Druella's expression of bland serenity never faded. Cygnus was the only one who looked at Narcissa.

Dinnertime was the worst time of day of all for her.

At dinnertime, she was faced with a plate of food that she did not want, did not_ dare_ to eat, and she would have to force it down. It was all good food, yes, food that anyone in the world would have killed for – steaming meat and vegetables and fresh bread, but it all disgusted Narcissa. She could feel it lying heavy in her stomach, churning and swelling until she felt she was about to explode, though she had only taken a few bites.

When she was finally allowed to leave the table, Narcissa would rush up to the toilet, and stick her long, perfectly manicured fingers down her throat and vomit it all up. Then she would clean her teeth and reapply her lipstick so that Daddy wouldn't notice when he kissed her.


	71. Antipode

_Antipode – a direct or exact opposite  
Belvina_

)O(

When Belvina heard that her Cygnus and his wife had conceived yet again, while she and her husband were still struggling to keep their first son alive, she flew into a rage.

In her anger, Belvina did something that she would never have expected from herself. At midnight, under the moon, she performed a curse, condemned Cygnus's third child to the most horrific existence possible.

She didn't expect there to be another Cygnus who had three children…

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #11, "Moonlight", on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles, and for Couture Girl, who very cleverly noted the parallels between Cassiopeia and Narcissa…


	72. Remit

_Remit – to slacken or relax  
Cygnus/Druella_

)O(

Cygnus cornered Druella in the parlour, firewhiskey on his breath and murder in his eyes. He gripped her by her hair and yanked her back, shoving her up against the wall. "Why?" He slurred. "Why did you do it? Why did you sleep with Abraxas? Tell me!"

"Maybe it was because Abraxas didn't beat me around the way you do!" Druella whispered venemously, past caring what happened next. "Never thought of that, did you? Never thought it could be your own fault!"

Cygnus's face went pale, and he slowly unclenched his hand from Druella's shoulder, then turned and left, trembling.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #12 - "Whisper" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles


	73. Astringent

_Astringent – sharply incisive; pungent  
Druella and Narcissa and Cygnus_

)O(

"Really, darling," Druella said to her daughter, yanking the brush through Narcissa's long, pale hair and making her wince. "You could be so pretty if you only tried… I don't know why you insist upon running around wild the way your sisters do. Honestly, I expected so much better from my special little girl…"

"I'm sorry, Mother," Narcissa said in a tiny voice. "I'll try to be good. I didn't mean to disappoint you."

"That's a good girl," said Druella. She kissed the top of Narcissa's head, then quickly and skilfully pulled her hair up into a knot, fastening the whole mass of fine blonde strands with two carefully placed pins. "Now, who's Mummy's special girl?"

"I am, mother," Narcissa said softly. At nine, she considered herself far too old for such babying, but there was no silencing Druella when she was like this.

"That's right, darling…" Druella laid one more kiss upon her daughter's head, then swept out, leaving Narcissa alone. She, Narcissa, gazed down unseeingly at the table of her vanity, until her father's sharp voice from the doorway broke the silence.

"She's wrong."

Narcissa turned around, heart beating faster and throat closing in instinctive fear. "About what, Daddy?"

"You being pretty if you combed your hair," Cygnus said. "Believe me, my little Cissy," he added, his voice going sugary sweet, the way it always did when he tried to coddle Narcissa, "you'd be so much prettier if you let your hair curl the way it used to when you were littler…"

"Yes, Daddy."

"And," he added, his eyes travelling down to her body, "you ought to lose weight. Look at yourself – nine years old and breasts and hips like a grown woman…"

"I can't help it, Daddy," Narcissa whispered.

"You will lose weight," he told her decisively, then turned and left.

Narcissa bit back the tears that always filled her eyes when she upset her father. She was never quite sure whether they were tears of shame for doing something wrong, or tears of fear at what he would do to her if she didn't fix her mistakes.

She glanced down, and disgust curled in her stomach. He was right. She looked horrible. Fat and disgusting and _ugly_. No wonder Daddy thought she wasn't pretty anymore.

Narcissa spent all evening in the toilets, pushing her fingers down her throat until the acid burned her mouth.


	74. Dowager

_Dowager – an elderly woman of stately dignity, especially one of elevated social status  
Walburga_

)O(

It was pleasant being a widow.

Walburga found herself far more respected by the rest of society with Orion no longer on her arm, and she found it far easier to take her life seriously when she was no longer forced to act the part of the pretty bride that she had outgrown so many years ago.

And, oh, the quiet. She had forgotten how incredible it was to live in a silent house.

The echo of her own footsteps as she walked the halls of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, were the only sounds she could hear.

She loved it.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #13 – "Echo" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles


	75. Iniquitous

_Iniquitous – characterized by injustice or wickedness; wicked; sinful  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

There were many things that Bellatrix adored – even loved – about the Dark Lord. She loved the way he spoke to her, almost like an equal. She loved his dominance, and she loved submitting to him.

But what she loved most was the way he made her feel. Every time he so much as looked at her, never mind when he was speaking to her, kissing her, _undressing her_, she felt a thrill of excitement, like she had committed a sin for which she would never be punished.

She felt so deliciously _wicked_ when he touched her.

It was quite addictive.


	76. Gasser

_Gasser – something that is extraordinarily pleasing or successful, especially a very funny joke  
Sirius/Narcissa_

)O(

"Sirius!" Narcissa screamed from the parlour. Sirius was already suppressing laughter as he stuck his head in.

"Something wrong, Cissy?" he asked, then had to duck to avoid the book of embroidery stitches that she threw at his head.

"Yes! I meant it when I said that if you knotted up my sewing cottons one more time, I'd –" Narcissa broke off, fuming as Sirius doubled over, laughing. "Oh, well aren't you just hilarious!"

"I thought so," Sirius chortled.

"You're a terrible brat, Sirius Black!"

"Oh, you're just jealous," Sirius told her. "You wish you could have this much fun."

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #14 - "Jealousy" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles


	77. Selcouth

_Selcouth – strange; uncommon  
Dorea and Cassiopeia_

)O(

Dorea never spoke to anyone except Cassiopeia. Oh, she wasn't _like_ Cassiopeia – she didn't hide or brood or shrink away in fear when someone came close – only looked at them with a simple, dead-eyed stare, as if to say "Is this want you want from me?". Dorea was a little doll, and could not have been more different from Cassiopeia, who was always hiding away, trying to disappear. Dorea was the prize of the Black family, and Cassiopeia was their shame.

And yet there were never two sisters quite so close. Dorea didn't speak except to Cassiopeia, didn't make eye contact with anyone but Cassiopeia, didn't really _look_ at anyone but Cassiopeia, and Cassiopeia never smiled for anyone except Dorea.

What strange little girls, people said. How odd – how selcouth – that two sisters should be so close, yet so distant from anyone else. _What could possibly be the matter with them?_ People wondered. _Some strain of madness, no doubt. Or perhaps simply misplaced and overblown affection._

No one else knew that the reason they were so close was that they knew they were alone against a world that wanted to destroy them.

It did destroy Cassiopeia. Dorea only barely escaped.


	78. Brisance

_Brisance – the shattering effect of a high explosive  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

Bellatrix's mind was clouded with pleasure, and she trembled against the Dark Lord.

"I love you," she moaned, scarcely realizing she was speaking.

"What did you say?" he hissed, his voice going low and dangerous. Bellatrix's breath caught and she shrunk back immediately.

"I– I apologise, my Lord," she said quickly. "I didn't mean–"

"I have spoken to you about this!" he demanded. "I have told you that you are not to say that to me!"

"But Master, I–"

He silenced her with a blow across the face so strong that she was sure the world had exploded.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #15 – "Passion" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	79. Carp

_Carp – to find fault or complain querulously or unreasonably  
Druella/Cygnus_

)O(

"Don't you ever stop complaining?" Cygnus demanded. Druella jumped, her embroidery slipping from her hands.

"I'm sorry, my love," she said immediately. "I didn't mean to upset you…" _A lie_.

"I'm just never good enough for you, am I?" he demanded. "What would I have to do to make you love me? There must be something – something I could do to stop you from looking at me like I disgust you…"

"You don't disgust me," Druella told him in her sweetest, most soothing voice. "I do love you."

But they both knew that this was far, far from the truth.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #16 – "Lies" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	80. Vernal

_Vernal – appearing or occurring in spring  
Andromeda/Rabastan_

)O(

Andromeda sat beneath the balcony of Lestrange manor. She hid amongst the lilacs that were just beginning to blossom – lilacs that she and Rabastan had picked together as children to weave into wreaths and pretend to be married in.

She could hear her sister's voice inside, and Rodolphus's, and – just barely – the high, sweet, slightly pained tones of Rabastan's voice.

_So familiar_.

She shut her eyes, a tear running down her cheek as she rested her head against the manor wall.

"I'm sorry I left, Rab," she whispered, but he would never hear.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #17 – "Regret" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	81. Conniption

_Conniption – a fit of hysterical excitement or anger  
Bellatrix and Andromeda_

)O(

When Andromeda came out of the sitting room, close to tears after being soundly chastised and punished for consorting with a Mudblood, and came face to face with Bellatrix, she was beyond furious.

"You promised not to tell Mother and Father that I had been with Ted!" she shrieked hysterically. "You said you wouldn't! You swore! I trusted you!"

Bellatrix stared blankly for a moment, then burst into gales of laughter.

"I told you–" she gasped between laughing fits, "that I wouldn't tell– and you _believed_ me? You can hardly blame me for your own naiveté, Andi!"

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #18 – "Trust" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	82. Moschate

_Moschate – having a musky smell  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

"What's in the attic, Mother?"

It was a question that Violetta Black never answered. Cassiopeia was simply told never to go up and not given any further reason as to why she should not. Granted, that was no less reason than the usual ones she was given to tell her not to do something (_Daddy, why can't I tell Mummy how you love me? Pollux, why can't I smile when you touch me?_) but there was something particular about the attic that made her want to know what was in it.

So one night, after Daddy had left her bedroom and gone to sleep, Cassiopeia crept out, let down the rope ladder and climbed it, twisting her ankle painfully beneath her but still able to make it up. Finally, she managed to hoist herself into the dark attic.

Hair-thin bands of moonlight filtered through the slats of the roof, just barely illuminating the moschate old room. Cassiopeia wrinkled her nose at the smell, but found herself smiling while she looked around

The next morning, a panicked Violetta found her daughter curled up in moth-eaten carpets, looking happier than she had ever seen her.


	83. Ruck

_Ruck – a large number or quantity; mass  
Bellatrix/Rodolphus_

)O(

"Look at all of them!" Bellatrix said, her voice dripping smug derision as she and her husband watched thousands of Mudbloods being slowly herded into the unused courtroom where they were to be kept until their trials. "Like lambs to the slaughter… isn't it beautiful?"

"There are so many of them…" Rodolphus commented, purposefully avoiding Bellatrix's question. He did not wish to tell her what he thought of the sight of so many Mudbloods being led to eventual death. What would Bellatrix ever say if she knew that he empathized with them?

Oh, he didn't _sympathize_ – not exactly. He knew how foul and disgusting those facsimiles of Witches and Wizards were and he wanted them gone as much as any other decent Death Eater. But he could understand what they were feeling right now, much as he wished that he couldn't. Bellatrix would scorn him for it, he knew all too well, so he never told. She wouldn't understand. She had never felt that sense of fear, of inevitable, fated doom.

Rodolphus had.

What would his wife say to him if she knew that what the Mudbloods felt now was how he had felt when he was led to Azkaban?


	84. Adroit

_Adroit – cleverly skilful, resourceful or ingenious  
Bellatrix/Voldemort_

)O(

Bellatrix remembered very clearly the first time she had met the Dark Lord. He had called for her, ordering Rodolphus to bring her to him, and she had been so desperately excited.

"You are a brilliant man, my Lord," Bellatrix said, bowing her head respectfully when she met him. "I am honoured to meet you."

He had given her a cordial smile, and spoken to her so pleasantly, and it was no time at all before Bellatrix found herself thinking what her mother called "impure thoughts" about him.

He played her cleverly. She was in his bed within the night.


	85. Tellurian

_Tellurian – of or characteristic of the Earth or its inhabitants  
Andromeda_

)O(

Andromeda was the only one of her sisters – the only person she knew, in fact, besides Sirius – who enjoyed being outside. Bellatrix and Narcissa looked at her as though she was mad when she spoke of how she liked to feel like a part of the earth.

She did not mind. It meant that when she went outside, she was alone.

Andromeda curled her toes in the earth, and fell onto her back, smiling up through the branches of a tree.

Even inside the walls of Black Manor's garden, there was a bit of earth she was able to appreciate.


	86. Catechize

_Catechize – to question closely  
Andromeda and Druella_

)O(

"Where have you been all day?" Druella demanded when Andromeda arrived home late in the evening after spending the day up on the moors with Ted.

Andromeda did not miss a beat. "I've been with Rabastan."

"Doing what?" asked Druella suspiciously.

"Just walking in his gardens," said Andromeda. "It was all very proper, I promise. He's thinking about planting some lilacs."

"I didn't know Rabastan was interested in such things…"

"Are you surprised?" asked Bellatrix from the couch. "_Planting lilacs_? I can't think of a single more flamingly–"

Andromeda crept off as Druella was distracted by shutting Bellatrix up.


	87. Chelonian

_Chelonian – belonging to the order Chelonia, comprising turtles  
Andromeda_

)O(

Andromeda crouched in the grass beside the little pond in the gardens of Black Manor, swirling the water idly with a stick. Until that day, the pond had been home to a family of turtles that Andromeda had devoted hours upon hours of her time caring for. They had been her beloved pets. Sirius and Bellatrix had even helped her keep them safe.

The pond was empty now, save for a few shattered bits of the turtles' shells, and Cygnus's shouts about how Andromeda ought not to put effort into the care of inferior creatures still rang in her ears.


	88. Luxate

_Luxate – to put out of joint; dislocate  
Bellatrix and Sirius_

)O(

The fight had gotten out of hand. Bellatrix had not meant to injure her cousin, not really, but she did. She picked up a book and flung it at Sirius, catching him in squarely the chest. He stumbled backwards, crashing into a bookcase and slumped to the floor. There was a sickening crack.

Bellatrix looked down on him, as he blinked, trying to catch his breath, and then there was an earth-shattering scream when he tried to move his arm.

"You bitch!" he screamed. "You broke my arm!"

"Good," Bellatrix said, then she turned on her heel and swept out of the room with all the dignity she could muster.


	89. Eudemonia

_Eudemonia – happiness; well-being  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

Cassiopeia was a blight upon the Black family's reputation. So she was hidden away and the memory of her quite forgotten, so that she did not destroy her family's ill-gotten eudemonia.

Most days, Cassiopeia was complacent, quietly accepting that her fate was to be closeted in the attic of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place until she died, for her corpse to be left there, forgotten in death as she was in life.

But some days, it was hard to take that. Some days, Cassiopeia would have done anything to be able to punish her family for what they did to her.

* * *

Author's Notes: I kind of fell off the wagon with this, didn't I? Time to get back on! Also for Prompt #19 – "Revenge" – on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	90. Fugitive

_Fugitive – fleeting, transitory, elusive  
Narcissa_

)O(

Narcissa was good at keeping up appearances. She smiled all the time, never let anyone see that things might not have been perfect for her. Anyone who saw would have assumed that nothing ever went wrong in sweet little Cissy's life.

Oh, how wrong they were.

There were times when Narcissa was happy, she didn't deny that, but those times were fugitive and quick to disappear, replaced almost immediately by the miserable experiences that no one – save, in a way, her father – knew she had.

She always hoped that the pain from those times wouldn't last long.

It always did.


	91. Boon

_Boon – something to be thankful for; blessing; gift  
Narcissa/Lucius and Dobby_

Warning: This individual drabble contains the use of a chastity device and slight sadomasochistic implications. It was written at the request of TuesdayNovember - the weirdness is, therefore, her fault, not mine. Also - 300 reviews! Thank you so much! Especially Couture Girl, Inkfire, and obsessivegirl73 - I love you guys!

)O(

"Are you sure this is strictly necessary?" Lucius asked, staring at the small chastity belt that his wife was holding with some trepidation. Narcissa had been very firm in her insistence that their new house-elf be required to wear it, but it looked incredibly uncomfortable, and Lucius felt a little twinge of sympathy for anyone forced to wear it – even a house elf.

Narcissa looked put out. "Yes, it is necessary!" she told him. "Honestly, Lucius, do you want a foul little hoard of House-elf _babies_ running about?"

Lucius cringed at the very idea. "Of course not, Cissy, darling, but…"

"There will be no arguing about the matter," Narcissa said imperiously. She snapped her fingers, and the House-elf appeared, looking quite nervous, as though it knew that was coming.

"Lift up that pillowcase, you vile little creature," said Narcissa. The elf complied, its knobby knees knocking together and its bulbous eyes wide with fear. Lucius's stomach turned and he looked away delicately while his wife knelt down and snapped the device around the elf's skinny hips. It let out a small squeak, and Narcissa smacked it hard. "Don't make a sound!"

"Dobby is sorry, Mistress," it said, but there was an unmistakably pained note in its voice as Narcissa tightened the belt and its genitals were very nearly crushed.

_Well,_ thought Lucius, wincing, _at least there's no chance of some other elf getting pregnant by him now…_ He shuddered slightly, trying to ignore the sadistic gleam in his wife's eye as she made sure the belt was secure, hoping against hope that she wouldn't get any ideas about trying it on him.

"There," Narcissa cooed. She yanked the pillowcase down, and stood, looking at Dobby with satisfaction. "Now, be thankful that we're using this and not cutting it off entirely."


	92. Pyknic

_Pyknic - __Having a rounded build or body structure  
Narcissa_

)O(

Narcissa was thin. She knew and adored it – what girl would not be pleased to have a perfect body and be able to keep it? At her best, she was beautifully waiflike, and at her worst, not thin enough.

But when her father's snide comments sent Narcissa into the "not thin enough" state of mind, and she disappeared into the lavatory for hours on end to kneel before the toilet and rid herself of food, she forgot that she loved being thin, and wished that she had as much nerve as her sisters, who flaunted their full bodies without care.


	93. Grouse

_Grouse – to grumble; complain  
Druella and Irma_

)O(

"I don't see why I cannot have my hair down," said Druella. She was already been dressed in her wedding gown and was now sitting before a mirror, while her soon-to-be mother-in-law struggled to put her hair up. "Elisabeth had her hair down when she married Abraxas."

"Now, no more of this, Druella," Irma said firmly, pulling at Druella's long, fair hair in an attempt to get the fine strands into a tidy, respectable knot. "This is a very respectable marriage, you know as well as I. You shall be an excellent match for my son."

Druella did not complain any further, but she was thinking _yes, I'll be an excellent match. But not half as good as I would be for Abraxas._


	94. Zeitgeber

_Zeitgeber – an environmental cue, as the length of the daylight, that helps to regulate the cycles of an organism's biological clock  
Cassiopeia_

)O(

While Cassiopeia was locked away in the attic of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, time blurred. Her life became an eternity of sitting upon the dusty floor with her hands clasped at her breast, rocking slowly back and forth and reliving the things that had happened to her before she had been forced into that dingy prison, where her only friends were the spiders that crawled over her flesh and wove cobwebs into her dark hair…

The brush of their long, light legs was, at least, a more welcome touch than those with which she was so familiar.

The outside world near enough disappeared to her – she could not go into it, after all. What was the point of wondering what day it was, what month, what _year_… those were things that would only have mattered to those outside, those who had hurt her.

If it had not been for the fine beams of light that filtered through the rafters and spilled across the dusty floor, Cassiopeia would not have known when to wake and when to sleep.


	95. Sylph

_Sylph – a young girl  
Charis/Caspar_

)O(

Charis and Caspar shared many walks on the seashore during their courtship – it was the only way that they could get away from their families while maintaining propriety. They walked along the cliffs and looked into the ocean and Caspar would attempt to compliment Charis.

"You're really a very charming young girl," he would say.

She managed small smiles, but inwardly, she wondered if, if she jumped off the cliffs, she would be able to dive to the very bottom of the ocean and drown there, or whether the rocks would dash her to pieces before she hit the surface.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Prompt #20 – "Beach" on 100 Prompts, 100 Drabbles.


	96. Ephebe

_Ephebe – a young man  
Lucius/Narcissa_

)O(

"You've been out."

Narcissa did not look up at her husband. She had come into the manor without sparing him a glance, swept past and seated herself in her favourite armchair in the library and pulled out a book to read. At his words, she simply gave a little half nod.

"With Rodolphus?"

"Perhaps…" She kept her tone light and airy, but Lucius could sense the undercurrent of smugness. He could have slapped her – _his wife_ – for speaking that way, but he did not. He kept control over himself.

"Bellatrix was out, I presume."

"You presume correctly."

"And unaware that you and her husband were together?"

"Oh…" There was just the faintest hint of a smirk in Narcissa's voice, but she kept her head down, her curtains of long, pale hair shielding her face. "Perhaps. But if she did know, I don't suspect she would care…"

"He certainly is a fine man, that Rodolphus," Lucius said sarcastically. "Ever so _noble_ and charming…"

"So he is," Narcissa agreed, almost cheerfully.

"The sort any woman would want…"

"Quite so…" If Narcissa was even aware that she was being not-so-subtly accused of having an affair, she didn't show it. Her voice remained a light little trill, as sweet and innocent as though she were discussing flower arrangements or whether blue or green silk would make for better trim on her summer dress.

Lucius wanted to hit her. He wanted to shake her until she cried, just to make her understand what a little whore she was being. He wanted to hurt her so that she would look at him and know that he cared about her and loathed that she was giving herself to Rodolphus Lestrange instead of him.

But he would never do that. He was above physical attack – that would have been Rodolphus's response, in any case, he thought, and the very idea made his lip curl in disgust.

Narcissa lifted her head and said, all sickening sweetness, "Was there something you wanted to say to me, Lucius darling?" and the smugness in her voice was more than Lucius could stand to listen to.

He snapped.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded. "Why in the name of God are you behaving this way? I know Rodolphus is a fine gentleman and all the things that any girl would want in a husband, but am I _really_ so unsatisfactory? Why did you even agree to marry me in the first place if you knew that you would just be running about with him and not even bothering to hide it?"

"Why bother asking?" Narcissa's voice went immediately cold and sharp and she dropped her head once more to stare intensely at the page of the book spread open upon her lap. "It isn't as though I ever had a choice, now is it? It isn't as though Mother _asked_ if I wanted to marry you."

"But you acted as though–"

"Acted!" Narcissa spat out the word as though it tasted foul. "Yes, that's right, I _acted!_ I _acted_ as though I didn't loathe you! What does that matter to you, Lucius – are you going to complain that I deceived you? That I'm a liar? Would you have preferred if I acted as though I hated you"

"_Yes!_ Why? Why would you ever…"

"Because, Malfoy…" Narcissa stood up, throwing the book down and facing him, raising her chin defiantly. "Because I am a woman, because I am a Black, and because _now_, I'm a Malfoy… those are three very fine reasons for being the most deceitful creature on God's earth."

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Three Reasons" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange: The Dark Lord's Most Faithful forum.

_I'd like you to write a story either inspired by or incorporating this quote here - "That's three reasons for being the most deceitful creature on God's earth" Full Credit goes to Phillippa Gregory's Anne Boleyn, who gave me the line._

600 words.


	97. Agley

_Agley – off the right line; awry; wrong  
Sirius_

)O(

It was no secret that Sirius had always hated Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. He hated the memories it held for him – _the bitter, bitter memories_ – and he hated how his parents had flaunted the place when they had still lived there.

But there was something just a touch… _more_ than that. Something innately wrong about the house, as though some aspect of it had been thrown _off_ and never quite made normal again.

He would have thought that all _wrongness_ had died with his parents.

He did not, of course, know about the madwoman who was locked in the attic.


	98. Pleach

_Pleach – to interweave branches or vines for a hedge or arbor  
Arcturus_

)O(

There was a place in the hedges that surrounded Black Manor's gardens where the wall was broken. Arcturus's damned daughter Cedrella had, he presumed, kicked a hole in it when she clambered over the brush to get away, to be with to her Blood traitor lover.

He had tried for weeks after she was gone to fix up the hole, weaving the branches together as best he could, but they always seemed to come apart, leaving a gaping, physical reminder of her absence.

The summer after she left, Arcturus had all the hedges torn down and replaced with stone walls.


	99. Apotropaic

_Apotropaic – intended to ward off evil  
Bellatrix_

)O(

"Strange" was a word often used to describe Bellatrix. She did not fit in with the ideas of her parents and their generation. Some even dared to refer to her as unnatural, as though being spiteful and lascivious, as she was, was somehow a less common or right way of being than sweetness or purity. Bellatrix only sneered at these people – if they did not know how enjoyable such behaviour was, that was their loss.

As she got older, the epithet of choice turned from "strange" to sinner.

It did, however, take a long time before anyone called her "evil".


	100. Cumshaw

_Cumshaw – a present; gratuity; tip  
Bellatrix and Narcissa_

)O(

"Christ, Narcissa, you look a mess."

Narcissa winced a little. "I know I do, Bella. There's no need to tell me."

Bellatrix flopped down on Narcissa's couch, folded her arms, and raised one eyebrow pointedly. "The proper response is now to explain why it is that you look this way."

Narcissa flushed, seating herself slowly in an armchair opposite her sister and looking away. "It's… personal."

"It has to do with your sex life."

"I didn't say that!" Narcissa cried, but her red cheeks gave her away. Bellatrix snorted.

"You don't have to say it," she told her. "So, what is it? It's a problem with Lucius, yes? Can he not get it up, or is he just too busy with other women to pay attention to his wife?"

"That is vulgar, Bellatrix!"

"I don't especially care."

Narcissa sighed. "Well- well, if you must know, he's not… very good."

"Clearly."

"He…" Irritation at her husband boiled up inside Narcissa. "He doesn't think about me! As though I don't – as though I _shouldn't_ enjoy doing it!"

Bellatrix nodded gravely. "Rodolphus is that way too."

"Well, what do you do about it?" Narcissa's cheeks were bright red – she could scarcely believe she was discussing this with her sister.

"What did _I_ do?" Bellatrix smirked a little. "Well, I went out and found myself a lover, as you very well know… but you don't need to do that."

"I don't?"

"Oh, no…" A wicked smile appeared on Bellatrix's lips. "Now, I suspect this will offend your delicate sensibilities, so you'd better take this advice to heart, Cissy… think of it like a present, all right?"

"Yes…" Narcissa said tentatively, wondering what sort of advice could require that disclaimer.

"Well, if your husband doesn't satisfy you, you can always just… do it for yourself."

* * *

Author's Notes: Also written for mmom (merry month of masturbation) on Livejournal.


	101. Caparison

_Caparison – to dress richly; deck  
Hesper and Lycoris_

)O(

Lycoris stood in front of the mirror and stared blankly at the gaunt, stringy girl staring back at her. For all her mother's efforts in decorating her, draping her with fine robes and jewellery and combing her hair until her scalp ached, she still looked about nine, and not at all like the young lady she was supposed to be.

"Posture, Lycoris," Hesper told her, placing one hand between her daughter's shoulder blades and trying to press her out of her perpetual slump. "You'll never attract a husband looking like that."

Lycoris straightened, but inwardly, she could only think, _good._


	102. Tony

_Tony – high-toned, stylish  
Narcissa and Charis_

)O(

Narcissa loved having Aunt Charis brush her hair. She was gentler than Bellatrix or Andromeda, but firmer than Druella – she didn't dab at Narcissa or seem to think that she would break if she touched her.

"You're beautiful, Narcissa," Charis said, running the brush through the pale locks.

"No, I'm not," said Narcissa quietly. "Daddy says I'm not pretty enough."

Charis was silent a moment, then whispered, "Don't you ever believe that, Cissy."

"Why not?"

She bowed her head, and pulled the brush through her hair again. "Because, darling, you are going to be the prize of the Black family,"


	103. Macaronic

_Macaronic – composed of a mixture of languages  
Druella/Tom_

Warning: This individual drabble is rated M for portrayal of masturbation.

)O(

Druella could not sleep. She could only lie in her bed, in the Slytherin girls' dormitory, and think about Tom Riddle.

God, but she wanted him badly. Two years older than her, gorgeous and unattainable, he was the object of all her fantasies. She wanted him on top of her, pinning her to the bed, taking her roughly, the way no other boy she could imagine would. She wanted him to hiss in her ear with that curious combination of English and… _something else_ that she had heard him speaking.

Druella pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a moan. _Girls aren't supposed to feel this way!_ she reprimanded herself, but she couldn't help it, she wanted it so badly…

Her legs were pressed tightly together, but there was an ache between them that she could not get rid of. Only Tom could get rid of it, she thought, and she reached down automatically before realizing what she was doing.

_Oh, Druella… that's not something that a young lady should do…_

But she didn't care. Her eyes squeezed shut and she pictured Tom mounting her, and her legs spread wide open almost of their own accord. Beneath the sheets, her fingers pressed against her lips, and came away dripping wet.

"Tom…" she moaned to herself, pressing her hand to her sex again, stroking herself gently. "Oh… Tom…"

_What if someone hears you?_

No, she didn't care. She didn't care who heard her. She just wanted…

Her fingers dragged over a particularly sensitive spot, and her breath caught. She rubbed the same place again, harder, and then almost screamed as a wave of the most intense pleasure she could have imagined erupted inside her. For a moment, the whole world disappeared, leaving only her and her thoughts of Tom Riddle.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also written for mmom on Livejournal.


	104. Approbate

_Approbate – to approve officially  
Orion and Cygnus_

)O(

Cygnus and Orion had been in the back room for hours, discussing how property was to be split between their two families. By rights, it should have been Walburga and Cygnus having the argument, but Walburga was a woman, after all, and thus not fit for such work.

"I want the Manor," said Cygnus. "I have three children, and they need more space than your two."

"Then I want Grimmauld Place," Orion said. "If you get the Manor, then I want Grimmauld Place. And I want Kreacher."

"Done," Cygnus said, and scrawled his signature across the bottom of the scroll.


	105. Palladium

_Palladium – anything believed to provide protection or safety; a safeguard  
Sirius/Regulus_

)O(

Sirius had been talking about running away for a while, and Regulus knew it. He was aware of the conversations held in whispers between his brother and his friends, that amounted to Sirius suggesting he leave the house of Black for good, but Regulus had never quite believed him. His brother was reckless, yes, but he wasn't stupid. Not _that_ stupid. Not stupid enough to throw his life away for no good reason.

That was what Regulus convinced himself. He told himself this until he believed it; until he didn't even suspect otherwise… at least, not much. Not consciously.

But there was still a part of him, deep down inside, that did worry that maybe – _maybe_ – his brother really meant it, and when Regulus woke one night to the sound of footsteps tiptoeing past his room and down the rickety, creaking stairs, his worst fears were confirmed.

He shot out of bed, rushing to the door and then out into the hall, just in time to see Sirius disappear around the bend in the stairs. He rushed after him.

"Sirius!"

Sirius whirled around on the steps, staring up at his brother with the panicked eyes of a wild animal about to be caught. He was wearing a rucksack, dangling over his shoulder, and Regulus's stomach churned.

"Sirius!" he called again, but Sirius had already bolted, fleeing down the stairs and towards the door. Regulus followed, his feet pounding against the wood and his heart hammering just as loudly in his ears, wheezing for air (_damn, but Sirius was fast_). He, Regulus, jumped several steps, landing in a painful crouch that turned his ankle, but he dragged himself to his feet and was off down the hallway, just managing to catch the back of Sirius's shirt, push him backwards, and get between him and the door.

"Where are you going?" he demanded loudly.

"Why are you out of bed?" Sirius shot back. "Good little boys stay in bed – didn't you know that, _Reg_?"

"Where are you going?" Regulus repeated, angry now, at himself as well as Sirius.

"Out. Away. Anywhere but here. Now get out of my way!" Sirius drew his wand and aimed it at his brother, but he knew he would not cast a spell.

"You're… _running away?_" Even though he had thought about the possibility before, Regulus couldn't believe this. He felt as though he were dreaming. Maybe he was – maybe he would wake up in a second, still in bed, warm and safe with his brother in the next room…

"Well, why not?" Sirius challenged defiantly. "Why shouldn't I? Cousin Andromeda ran away, and I hear she's much happier now – so why shouldn't I be?"

"Because!" Regulus couldn't believe his brother's pig-headedness. Didn't he understand_ anything at all_? "You can't run away!" He stamped his foot, straightening up to better Sirius's path. "I won't let you!"

"Like you could stop me…" Sirius gave him a shove, trying to push him aside. "Now get out of my way! Mum and Dad might hear…"

"Good! I hope they hear!" He opened his mouth wide, planning to call for them, but Sirius clapped his hand quickly over it, looking around in a panic. Regulus made a muffled noise somewhere between a shout and a sob.

"What do you want?" Sirius hissed. "What do you want that would get you to get out of my way?"

"I don't want anything!" Regulus told him, his voice muffled through his brother's hand. "I want you to stay! I'm not taking bribes!"

"What do you want me to stay for?" Sirius demanded in a hiss, lifting his hand. "It's not exactly as though you acted too fond of me when I was here! What does it matter if I'm gone?"

"It matters." Regulus's voice had gone rather small and weak. "It just does. I… I don't want you to go."

"Yeah, you made that pretty damn clear already!" snapped Sirius. "Now either explain why you want me here, or I'll hex you… I picked up a few things from cousin Bella, you know," he added, smirking nastily and watching Regulus's face pale – he was rightly terrified of their cousin.

"I… I don't want you to go…"

"_Because?_"

Regulus shrugged helplessly. "I just… I couldn't– I don't want to stay here without you. I want– you…" To his intense displeasure, tears were welling up in his eyes, and he dashed them away impatiently. "You're my brother. You- you can… can protect me–"

"That's not true, Regulus, and we both know it. When have I _ever_ done a thing to protect you?"

"You have!" he insisted. "I don't know, but you have, I know it! And I w- wouldn't want to be here without you… cousin Bella would eat me alive if it weren't for you… and…"

"_What?_" Sirius glanced at the clock, hoisting his bag more securely over his shoulder. "You get thirty more seconds to tell me whatever it is you want your last words to me to be, and then I'm leaving."

Regulus was in agony. He had never been one for showing emotion, and it was physically painful to him to say what he was feeling – especially to his crass, insensitive, _wonderful_ older brother.

"I don't… want you to leave…" he managed, in a rough, choked voice. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't…"

"Fifteen seconds."

"I don't want you to leave…" said Regulus. He drew in a deep breath, then told him, in a very quiet voice, "I don't want you to leave, because I love you. And that's the truth."

For just a second, Regulus fancied that he might see a twitch of uncertainty in Sirius's dark, rather cold eyes. His heart soared at the idea that perhaps – _just perhaps_ – he had managed to convince his brother to stay with him.

He should have known better.

"God, you really are pathetic," Sirius told him, then stamped out and slammed the door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place behind him.

Author's Notes: Also for the 1H level of Lady Phoenix Fire Rose's One Hour Challenge on the HPFC forum – _pairing: Sirius/Regulus, prompt: truth._


	106. Irrigous

_Irrigous – well-watered, as land  
Druella/Cygnus_

)O(

Druella sat in the parlour, smoothing the petals of her potted flowers. She sprinkled water in them to keep the soil moist, and spoke to them in low, crooning voices, ignoring Cygnus when he came in and stared at her.

"Good lord, Druella, do you ever do anything except take care of those plants?" he asked, rather scornfully. "You spend more time with them than me."

_Yes,_ Druella thought, though she did not look away from the flowers, and she pressed her mouth into tight line. _I do other things. But not anything that you would want to know about._


	107. Aperçu

_Aperçu – a hasty glance; a glimpse  
Rodolphus/Narcissa_

)O(

"I'm scared, Rod," Narcissa whispered. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could not undo the buttons on his shirt, and she was sure that her face must have been crimson.

"What of, Cissa?" His voice was low and velvety in her ear, his hands strong as they ran slowly up her back, pressing her to him. "I've told you, it'll only hurt for a minute…"

"What's not it," she squeaked. "Rod- I- what if- what if people find out? Rod, if we… if we sleep together and Bella finds out about it, she'll kill me!"

"Do you think that I'd let Bellatrix find out?"

Narcissa bit her lips hard and glanced down quickly, letting her pale hair fall to shield her face. What did he mean for her to say to that? If she said no, then he would say that that meant that everything was fine, and it wasn't. But if she said yes, then he would think that she did not trust him, and she would hate for there to be a fight between them over something that was not really _entirely_ true.

"I trust you, Rod," she lied, and let him take her to bed.

* * *

Author's Note: Also written for hp_may_madness - "First time"


	108. Xenophilia

_Xenophilia – the attraction to strange or foreign peoples, cultures or customs  
Narcissa/Xenophilius_

)O(

Xenophilius was a strange boy – no one would ever deny that, even his friends. People looked upon him with a sort of wary awe, wondering if he was _really_ as odd as he made himself out to be.

Narcissa had no doubt. She thought that he was just exactly as strange as he seemed.

That was what attracted her interest.


	109. Reconnoitre

_Reconnoitre – to make an inspection or observation  
Andromeda and the Lestranges_

)O(

Andromeda stood nervously before Maria and Joseph Lestrange. Bellatrix had already passed their inspections and been deemed a suitable bride for Rodolphus, but their eyes lingered longer upon the proposed wife of their second son. From across the room, Rabastan sent Andromeda a small, wobbly smile, perhaps intending to be reassuring, though he looked every bit as nervous as she felt. That he wanted her for a wife would make little difference to his parents.

Maria said something to Joseph in quiet German. Andromeda's heart skipped a beat before Joseph looked at her and gave a curt nod.

"You'll do."


	110. Bona Fides

_Bona Fides – Good faith; the state of being exactly as claims or appearances indicate  
Dorea/Charlus_

)O(

People wondered how it was that a little broken doll of a girl like Dorea could ever be happy in a marriage. They looked upon her and Charlus and wondered what he did to her to keep her placid and satisfied, and stop her from breaking down.

From whatever angle one looked at it, it seemed as though they were perfectly happy, and that there was nothing even slightly dishonest in their marriage.

Of course, that could not be it. There must be something wrong.

Dorea and Charlus laughed at those who did not see that their happiness was sincere.


	111. Agnomen

_Agnomen – a nickname  
Druella/Cygnus, Bellatrix_

)O(

Druella lay in bed, looking incredibly small and frail amongst the pillows that had been stacked up on all sides of her. Her face was hollow and pale – no doubt from being locked up in a room with no sunlight and little company for the better part of two weeks.

When Cygnus opened the door and stepped inside, Druella was in tears. The midwife at her side glanced up at Cygnus, signalling him to be quiet.

"I- can't do it!" Druella sobbed. "I can't- I don't want a baby, I don't want it! Get rid of it!" Her back arched off the bed, and the midwife touched her forehead comfortingly.

"There, there, Mistress," she said softly. "All women say that when they have their first. It's almost over, and then everything will be all right…"

"Get off of me!" screamed Druella. She struck out at the midwife, who leapt back, throwing her arms up to protect herself. "I don't want a baby, and I don't want your help! Get away from me!"

The midwife cowered, and Cygnus took the opportunity to dart forward. He clasped both his wife's sweaty hands in his, squeezing them firmly and trying not to wince when her nails dug hard into his flesh.

"Don't worry, Dru," he whispered, and at the sound of her pet name, Druella quieted instantly. "Everything's going to be all right. I'm here. I'm here for you…"

Druella let out a fresh sob, clinging to her husband, her eyes squeezing shut. "It hurts…"

"I know it does, Dru. But it's almost over – the midwife said so…"

Druella managed a tiny nod, then grasped her husband's hands as tightly as she could – tightly enough to draw blood where her nails stabbed his skin – and lay still so the midwife could approach again.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

300 words.


	112. Hsien

_Hsien – one of a group of benevolent spirits promoting good in the world  
Druella and Andromeda_

)O(

The birth of Druella's second daughter was far less troublesome than the first. Perhaps it was because Druella knew what to expect this time, and was thus not caught off guard by the horror of childbirth.

That was the logical explanation, at least.

Druella, privately, liked to think that it had more to do with her daughters' temperaments – where Bellatrix had already developed a penchant for causing harm to others, Andromeda was a sweeter soul who preferred to help than hurt.

Druella silently believed – and she dared tell no one – that these were traits that they had had since birth.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

100 words.


	113. Obtuse

_Obtuse – not quick or alert in perception, feeling or intellect  
Druella_

)O(

By the time of Narcissa's birth, the pain that accompanied the bearing of a child had become almost familiar to Druella. Oh, it was still no pleasure, but the physical discomfort was overshadowed by a new sort of pain.

_This is not my husband's child_.

It was clear to Druella from the second she saw her third daughter – delicate, pointy-featured little creature that she was – that she was of Abraxas's blood. She dreaded the moment when Cygnus saw her.

He said nothing when he did.

Druella prayed he was so obtuse that he would not notice the child's Malfoyesque appearance.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

100 words.


	114. Germinal

_Germinal – being in the earliest stage of development  
Bellatrix/Rodolphus_

)O(

Bellatrix and Rodolphus's wedding bed was cold.

She had lain beneath him while he laboured over her, emitted a few half-hearted moans and assured him in an unconvincing monotone that everything had been amazing, but both of them knew perfectly well that she was lying.

Rodolphus rolled over and looked at Bellatrix, clearing his throat.

"I know that that… wasn't quite how we would have liked our wedding night to be," he said, "but it's early yet. We can still make things work."

"Oh," Bellatrix said in a voice dripping with derision, "yes. Of course. I'm sure that we can."

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

100 words.


	115. Fard

_Fard – to apply cosmetics  
Narcissa/Lucius_

)O(

Druella was ever so proud of the way that Narcissa's wedding had turned out – all pretty flowers and charming guests, and Narcissa herself made up as the most beautiful bride the world had ever seen, with her handsome husband on her arm, showering her in compliments.

"You don't need that makeup, Cissy," Lucius said to Narcissa, touching her cheek ever so lightly. "You're every bit as beautiful without them."

"That's kind of you to say, Lucius," Narcissa said, but she was privately thinking that now that they were married, there wasn't exactly much point in Lucius trying to flatter her.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

100 words.


	116. Barnburner

_Barnburner – something that is highly exciting or impressive  
Andromeda/Ted_

)O(

Ted and Andromeda stood at the alter of the little village church while the reverend rifled through his book to get to the portion on wedding vows. Ted smiled down at Andromeda – a wide, beatific smile that would have suited a baby better than a grown man, and she did her best not to let her own smile falter. If she had had her way, Andromeda would have given her soon-to-be husband a smack around his overly cheerful face, but no, she couldn't do that. If she didn't go through with this – if she didn't secure herself a nice little place to stay in his home – then it would be back to Black Manor for her.

"Are you excited, Dromeda?" Ted asked in a whisper, sweeping a lock of Andromeda's loose hair over her ear and out of her face.

She felt like crying – _oh, god, I'm getting married and my sisters aren't even here_ – but she managed to disguise her tears as those of happiness and nod.

"Ever so excited, Ted," she told him, and then, as long as she was lying, she added, "I love you."

The reverend cleared his throat softly, and Andromeda and Ted fell silent.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Lady Eleanor Boleyn's "Birth, Marriage, Death" Challenge on xoxLewrahxox's Bellatrix Lestrange forum.

_Your challenge for the next two weeks will be: __**Births, Marriages and Deaths**__. You should thus write a drabble detailing either a Birth, a Marriage or a Death, and word count should be a multiple of 100 words._

200 words.


	117. Adenoidal

_Adenoidal – being characteristically pinched and nasal in tone quality  
Bellatrix and Narcissa_

)O(

Narcissa was the good daughter, of course. She was good at everything she tried – at drawing and painting, at dancing, and her studies, and at music.

Bellatrix loathed her little sister for this. She, Bellatrix, could scarcely ever receive a word of praise for any womanly task she might attempt, no matter how she tried. Even Andromeda, who never put in any proper effort, even when they were little, received more praise than her.

And so she sat and smiled bitterly while the world sung Cissy's praises.

And she thought how her drawings were ugly and her singing was nasal.


	118. Nosh

_Nosh – to snack or eat between meals  
Narcissa and Andromeda_

)O(

Andromeda used to offer Narcissa chocolates, saying that they would improve her mood and keep her going through the day. Chocolate made people happy, Andromeda said. That was why you were supposed to eat it after being attacked by a Dementor.

When she was very young, Narcissa used to agree, and eat the chocolate, keeping a few pieces in her pocket to slip into her mouth between meals, whenever she felt sad.

Until the day she looked in the mirror and decided that, if she wanted to be pretty, then she'd have to stop.

She never ate chocolate after that.


	119. Littoral

_Littoral – __Pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean_

_Bellatrix/Rodolphus_

)O(

Bellatrix and Rodolphus spent their honeymoon at one of the Lestranges' manors, this one located upon the shore of a lake, and Bellatrix spent much of her time avoiding Rodolphus by taking walks along the shore.

Rodolphus caught her there one day, and he was grim.

"Very well," he said, gripping her arm and turning her to face him. "You don't want to be married to me, I see. But surely… surely, even if you cannot accept me as a husband, you can accept me as a partner… an equal…"

Bellatrix said nothing, but she did not push Rodolphus away.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Day One of JoeCool989's Summer Writing Camp on the HPFC forum – "Write a drabble (exactly 100 words) with the prompt 'partner.'"


	120. Ensconce

_Ensconce – to settle securely or snugly  
Narcissa and Andromeda_

)O(

Lucius often asked Narcissa why she never went to Diagon Alley anymore. She made excuses about how, ever since the Dark Lord had fallen, the place was overrun by Mudbloods who glared at her whenever she walked past them, and, as someone suspected of once sympathizing with the Dark Lord, she simply didn't feel safe.

He accepted this explanation and did not question her too much further when she gave this as her reason.

But it was a lie.

Narcissa did not care in the slightest about the Mudbloods – she could simply push them away if they got too close – and she didn't feel unsafe – she knew that she could duel well enough to keep any potential attackers at bay.

But she couldn't keep her sister at bay.

When she saw Andromeda, walking through the streets on little innocent errands, Narcissa had to duck into shops to hide. She had to be sure that her sister wouldn't see her.

Narcissa never, ever wanted to see Andromeda again. She wanted to ensconce herself in the safe little world where she'd never had a blood traitor sister, and never come out.

But when she saw Andromeda, her world always came crashing down.

* * *

Author's Note: Also for Day Two of JoeCool989's Summer Writing Camp on the HPFC forum – " Write about a chance meeting between two people who have not seen each other in forever"


	121. Aphotic

_Aphotic – lightless, dark_

_Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa_

)O(

Not two months after Bellatrix finished her final year of Hogwarts, she was called away from home – to serve the Dark Lord, she said, to fight at his side – and the day that she left was dark and stormy, matching the mood of her sisters. Narcissa clung to her and Andromeda watched, stony-faced, from a step away, more interested in the thunder and lightning than in her sisters.

"When are we going to see you again?" Narcissa asked in a small, tearful voice.

"When the battle's won," Bellatrix told her, smoothing her hand over her cheek. "It won't be long. But the Dark Lord needs me." She gave Narcissa's hands a gentle squeeze, then let go of them and nodded to Andromeda.

Andromeda gazed after her sister with glassy, tearless eyes. She could not bring herself to cry for her, nor could she draw out enough emotion to feel derisively satisfied that Bellatrix was walking into danger and would come home expecting praise, only to find her sister gone.

But when she searched deep enough in her soul, Andromeda could _just_ tell that she would miss her sister someday, for she knew not when she would meet her again.

* * *

Author's Notes: Also for the Welcome Home Harry Potter Ficathon on kolms on Livejournal with the prompt:

Bellatrix and Andromeda and Narcissa – _Enter three witches_ – 'When shall we three meet again/in thunder, lightning or in rain/when the hurly-burly's done/when the battle's lost and won'


End file.
